Light Me Up
by FairMaiden
Summary: Alice had been prepared for every single exam, evaluation, and test she had encountered over her years as a medical student. However, nothing really could have prepared her for the Zombie Apocalypse. In a moment's notice, she watched her whole life crumble into pieces. She just wants to find her sister, but her whole routine is thrown off when she meets the Dixon brothers. Daryl/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Characters are from TWD. I am just writing for fun :)**

* * *

 **Prologue**

* * *

Alice Lane had never truly been unprepared for anything her whole life. Sure, there were unexpected minor hurtles throughout her life, but it wasn't anything her or her family couldn't handle.

For example, the day her teacher told her mom that she had dyslexia, a reading tutor was hired instantly to meet with her every single day until she could read better than any other kid in her lower school class. Since then, she knew that she had to be prepared for any obstacle thrown her way. She left lower school with a newfound sense of determination and ambition that followed her throughout middle school, high school, college, and medical school. The Lane family, including Alice, were a tough bunch of people.

She had been prepared for every single exam, evaluation, and test she had encountered over her 7 years as an MD-PhD student. Before medical school, when she actually had time to watch TV in college, Alice binged watched Big Brother, where contestants had to "expect the unexpected." Similarly, Alice had to be prepared to be unprepared for difficult patient cases or strange experimental outcomes.

So yeah, Dr. Alice Lane had her shit together. She knew what she was doing, when she would be doing it, and how she would be doing it. That's why she had graduated in the top of her undergraduate class, been accepted to a top MD-PhD program, aced her Boards Exams, and now that's why she was now excelling at one of the best neurosurgery residency programs in the States.

However, nothing really could have prepared her for the Zombie Apocalypse. In a moment's notice, she watched her whole life crumble into pieces.

She was visiting her parents who had retired down in Florida when she first began to hear strange reports about cannibalism on the news. The reporters had chalked it up to drugs. Her parents shook their heads in horror and switched their attention back to the Tennis Channel.

A few days later when Alice began to hear news of people getting sick due to some mysterious flu going around, she knew that _something_ was not right **.** She had a PhD in Immunology—she had dedicated _years_ of her life to biomedical research. She had also just finished her first year as a neurosurgery resident, but it didn't take a scientist to know that something was amiss. A midnight call from her boyfriend confirmed that this wasn't just a common cold.

 _"Derrick? Do you have any idea what time it is?" she grumbled into her phone, annoyed that she had forgotten to put it on silent._

 _"It's an emergency...Oh **GOD** , it's a **fucking** emergency."_

 _It took less than a second for Alice to be fully awake and fully aware of the gravity of the situation. Derrick was the calmest, most levelheaded person she had **ever** met, and he never swore. If he was panicking, then something terrible had just happened._

 _"I'm listening, what's wrong?"_

 _Even as she asked the question, Alice was already dreading the answer._

 _"Dr. Pruitt called me couple of hours ago— he tells me to come into lab, that it's urgent. He had just received some samples into the lab, from a colleague, at least according to him, but he didn't say what they were for…he just asked me to run some tests with him—and **SHIT,** Alice, it's real."_

 _At hearing the work "lab" Alice felt her heart sink. Derrick was researcher over at Johns Hopkins, and he specialized in the study of infectious disease. If the emergency were linked in any sort of way to the work in his lab, it would be a colossal emergency. As he continued speaking, she felt all the blood drain from her face._

 _"Alright, Derrick, explain, what's real."_

 _"Have you been watching the news? Those "druggies" eating each other? All these people getting sick? Something is causing people to do that… you've been missing what's happening here in the clinics— people are getting coming in sick and we don't know what it is…The doctors are trying to keep everyone calm, but it is **something** and whatever it is, it's contagious…" _

_There was a pause, and then Derrick continued, "You should have seen Dr. Pruitt when I showed him some of the results... He was scared, Alice. He was fucking terrified. He told me to pack my stuff and leave. He thinks this is serious—we don't know what is infecting people. And he doesn't think it's safe here anymore. The most renowned specialist in infectious disease is leaving the lab so he can avoid becoming infected, and he tells me to leave too...He's gonna go to the CDC."_

 _There was silence on Derrick's line._

 _"Derrick?"_

 _"The scariest part is that no one knows what to do. Dr. Pruitt has been getting calls from everyone—mostly from the CDC, but they don't know what it is either."_

 _"Derrick, you can stay with my family. We will figure this out. We can stay safe… together, like always, yeah? I'll book you a flight right now. We will meet up and then we will go the CDC. It's gonna be alright. You and me."_

 _Alice woke up her parents, and told them the news. Immediately, her parents went into overdrive. Her mother called her older sister, Nancy. Flights were immediately booked for Nancy and Derrick to fly to Atlanta. Alice and her parents would drive to meet them from Florida with supplies. All together they would meet at the airport and make their away over to the CDC. She and her mother began to pack clothes, food, and other supplies and her dad immediately began loading their bags into their car. In less than an hour they were ready to go._

 _As they ran towards the front door, Alice grabbed a photograph that was sitting on her bedside table. She tucked it under her arm and ran with her parents towards the car._

She had actually thought that they could prepare for this. They had time to plan—they knew about the outbreak… they had time before the panic set in. She had thought that Derrick would fly down to Florida. That she would see him again. She had thought that she would meet him and Nancy at the airport with her parents, and together they would drive down to the CDC to figure this out. She had been so wrong.

Leaving Tampa hadn't been so bad. The traffic was heavier than usual, but nothing extraordinary. Alice had actually thought that maybe it was actually going to be alright. A couple of hours into the trip, Nancy called her mom. Nancy was on a flight now, on her way to Atlanta. Everything seemed to be working out. A few hours later, she received a call from Derrick. Everything went to hell after that.

 _There was a loud bang outside the car door. They had been standing in standstill traffic for an hour now. Planes were flying low overhead and her mother was speaking frantically to her father._

 _"Alice, get out of the car," her mother yelled over the noise. Her mom grabbed a duffle bag and grabbed hold of Alice's arm. Alice reluctantly went with her mother. She knew that she should feel something as her father handed her a bag, but she just felt numb inside. She would never hear Derrick's voice again._

 _Alice jumped as something exploded outside. She shook her head, trying to stifle the sobs that were threating to escape. She didn't have time to mourn her boyfriend's death. As they ran away from the cars, Alice could see people panicking around her. Up ahead she could see why there had been a standstill. The road was covered in debris from blown-up buildings and cars. There were pieces of metal and wood scattered along the sides of the highway. Then she noticed the dead bodies. Alice sat on her knees and stared wide eyed at the carnage before her. She felt her father yank her to her feet. They ran around the loose asphalt and dead bodies. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand as the tears started to stream down her face. Her vision blurred, but she was still able to see that some of the corpses were moving. Derrick had been right. The undead were alive._

Three months later, Alice still felt like she was in hell. Alice had only four people she loved and trusted unconditionally—her parents, her sister, and Derrick. She was now down to one person. She was desperate to reach the CDC. It was her only chance at seeing the last person on this Godforsaken earth that mattered—Nancy. She didn't even know if she had made it off of the plane in Atlanta. She didn't even know if she was alive, but it was all she had left. After she lost her parents, she had been a wreck. When she was a freshman in college, her dog had died unexpectedly, and she had cried for months. Even today, when she saw the same breed of dog, she would tear up. But nothing compared to the pain of having to witness her parents' death. They were _everything_ to her, and now she was alone for the first time in her life. Three months was not enough time to process the loss of her parents and grieve, at least not when humanity was crumbling around her.

Alice had to adapt fast to her new surroundings. She had spent 7 years at Johns Hopkins, and she constantly complained to her parents about Baltimore. She had even joked with them that Baltimore could only be described as an apocalyptic city. But obviously, she had never seen a true apocalyptic city. Now, she was living in one. And that wasn't even her main concern. The zombies were only the start of her problems. The other concern was her fellow survivors. She learned very fast that she could trust no one. She had also learned this lesson the hard way. Now, all she had left was the backpack on her back, a metal baseball bat in one hand, and a wooden shield she had obtained from a history museum on a supply run a few weeks ago.

She didn't want to think about how many walkers she had whacked over the head with that bat. It became second nature to her. At this point, she had a routine going—kill walkers, find food, find shelter, avoid people, survive, reach the CDC, try to find Nancy.

Her whole routine was thrown off when she met two brothers on the edge of Atlanta.


	2. Chapter 2

**Characters are from TWD. I am just writing for fun :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Meeting the Dixons**

* * *

"God _dammit_."

Alice swore under her breath as she looked through the bushes—she could see three armed men talking outside of a CVS store. She needed supplies, _badly_ — Glenn's wrist and ankle needed proper support and the makeshift braces were not going to hold up much longer.

"What's wrong?!" Glenn hissed in her left ear, causing Alice to jump slightly.

"Jesus, Glenn. I thought I told you to stay put." Alice whispered back, glaring slightly at Glenn, who merely shrugged at her scolding.

 _She had met Glenn half a month after she had lost her parents, and she was in pretty bad shape. She didn't consider herself to be quite mentally unstable yet, but given a few more weeks, she would have been well on her way—she was sure of it. Alice had stumbled into a herd of walkers right after exiting a rundown bar in Atlanta. She had foolishly believed that there might be a refugee center there. Her backpack was now filled with more food, more water, and some extra clothes, but she unlike her bulging backpack, felt empty inside._

 _She had sprinted onto the main street, hoping to find shelter, but when she rounded the corner she ran into an Asian man, around her age, maybe a little younger, staring at her with surprise. She didn't have time to panic because right behind him was another batch of walkers, headed straight towards them. They would soon be cornered. They didn't really have time to discuss logistics—together they managed to fight off enough walkers, giving them an opportunity to make a break for it. She got into the man's car without a second thought. After Alice gulped enough air for her to breath normally, she offered to take a look at his injuries, explaining to him that she was a doctor._

 _"A doctor? You're, what, eighteen?" the man had asked, looking at Alice with a skeptic but also with a slightly panicked expression._

 _And just like that, Alice had laughed for the first time since her parents' death. After she had stitched up some of his wounds he had acquired a few days earlier, the two fell into a simple routine—surviving together, having each other's backs._

"You took too long. What's the deal with the men?" Glenn asked, eying the men in front of the pharmacy carefully.

"They arrived a few minutes after I got here. Hopefully they will leave soon."

"Alright, we can wait."

The two sat side-by-side, keeping the drugstore and the men insight. Alice had to admit that it was nice to have someone to depend on. She was on her way to the CDC, but now she had someone to go with—someone who she trusted.

"Alright, here's another question – if you could have any superpower, which would you choose?" Alice asked.

Traveling with Glenn had proven to be pretty fun. The conversations flowed easily, and at times Alice could forgot that the world was ending. Initially, Glenn had been quiet and pretty awkward around her, but Alice was used to slightly socially inept people (she had met plenty in graduate school). Eventually, Alice began to notice that he was funny and kind— they both found that talking kept the paranoia and fear at bay as the traveled together. It also turned out that Glenn was younger than her. She was twenty-eight and he was twenty-three.

"Dunno, Doc…Gotta think about this. This is serious stuff." Glenn said, grinning at her.

"Well, I would choose time travel. You know that movie Click with Adam Sandler? I want that superpower—pausing, rewinding time, that sorta thing."

Glenn shrugged. "I guess teleportation."

"Uh-huh. Kinda a boring superpower, Glenn."

Glenn shrugged again, "It would come in handy right about now. We could go see if your sister is over at the CDC and drop by Michigan to check up on my parents."

"Alright…" Alice conceded, "but my superpower could _prevent_ —

Alice's response was cut short as Glenn elbowed her and pointed at the men, who were now exiting the CVS and walking back to their car.

"Brilliant! They probably even got rid of the walkers inside for us." Alice grinned up at Glenn who was now standing and offering her a hand up.

They waited until the car was no longer insight and then the two began to walk towards the drugstore.

Alice left Glenn standing guard at the entrance while she slowly entered the drugstore. The shelves were mostly empty, but she quickly found the braces that Glenn needed. She stuffed some other toiletries and other medication she found into her backpack and was about to head back out when she heard faint sounds outside. Alice tightened her hold on her bat and strained her ears. She wasn't sure she heard voices and Glenn hadn't yelled out a warning to her, but she figured that she couldn't be too careful.

Alice muttered a curse under her breath when she heard the voices more clearly and louder.

" – You sure you alone? Because Paulie here swears he saw you with a woman. Anyone else with you?" a male voice asked sharply.

Alice's heart sank, as she approached the door— she could now clearly see Glenn surrounded by the three men that they thought had left. Glenn was on his knees, his hands behind his head. A gun was pointed at him.

"I'm alone. She left with the others. I was supposed to gather supplies and meet them at our base." Glenn lied quickly.

One of the men laughed. "Well now, we know that's not true. So, I'm gonna assume she's in the store, and I really hope she's a looker. It's been a while since I had a company of a woman. So why don't you tell me, is there anyone else in there with her?"

Alice quickly ducked behind a shelf as she saw the men turn towards the entrance. She could easily exit out back—leave Glenn. Run. He was injured anyways… he would only slow her down. But, her feet didn't move towards the back exit. She didn't even consider leaving him. Over the past couple of months, she had added him to the list of people she cared about—Nancy, and now Glenn. So, she gripped her bat tighter, took a deep breath, trying to think of how she and Glenn could get out of this alive.

"Wow! Ok! Please! Please don't think of hurting—

Glenn's plea was cut off as she heard him grunt and double over in pain as one of the men kicked him.

Alice never really acted on instinct, but something clicked and she began army crawling towards the back of the store. If she could just sneak behind them, she could help Glenn. She probably couldn't do much damage against three men with her bat, but maybe she could distract them… It wasn't much of a plan, but it was the only shot she had.

She kept low, her eyes on the exit sign. Right when she pulled on the backdoor, it swung open, hitting her. Seeing who was in front of her, Alice immediately swung her bat at the intruder. The man caught the bat in an instant, wrenching it from her arms. Losing her balance, Alice stumbled forward and collided with him—they fell down with a thump in a tangle of limbs.

She lay on her back and looked up into a pair of startled blue eyes. It wasn't a walker that was pinning her to the ground—he was alive. She could feel the heat of his body as his weight was pressed against her. She raised her hands and shoved against his chest, but he didn't budge. She was about to scream when she felt his dirty hand clamp down on her mouth. Alice immediately started struggling to break his grip, trying to claw at his eyes.

"Quit buckin'!" She heard him hiss in her ear.

She let her arms fall to her sides, but out of the corner of her eye she could see where her bat had fallen. She was about to reach for it and use it to smash in in head when she felt the man push himself up, his legs and hips momentarily pushing her further into the ground. She quickly stood up, scrambling to pick up her bat before swiveling to look at the men in front of her.

Two men stood before her, both older than her. The men stared at her in surprise, the same shocked expression gracing both their faces. A cruel Cheshire-cat grin began to slowly spread across the thin mouth of the older man. He was a _big_ man. He had a square jaw and his shoulders were heavy and broad. The forearms clutching his riffle were huge. He was around fifty years old, probably even older. Even in this heat he was dressed in leather. Alice immediately noticed the scarring that lay across his knuckles.

The younger man, who was the one who had pinned her to the ground, was eying her carefully, his brows furrowed. The man's sleeveless wife beater was damp and as a result clung to his body. A stubble of beard covered his square jaw and his nose looked slightly crooked, as if it had been broken. But what stood out the most to Alice was the crossbow that he was now pointing at her. His blue eyes seemed to pick up on her anxiety because he looked behind her and seemed to realize that she was running from something. He lowered his weapon and took a step forward towards her. Alice scrambled away from him, her bat ready to strike.

"Sweetheart! Darylina here—

"Quiet!" Alice hissed, interrupting the older man's sentence.

They should have worried her, but at the moment she was more concerned about the men in the front of the store. She knew that these two men were not with the group—they looked too surprised to see her at their feet to know she was in the store beforehand and the younger man had released her once she had stopped struggling. But, that didn't make them any less dangerous.

"Please!" she gasped out looking at the blue-eyed man desperately. "There's three men out there and they have my friend." Alice wasn't really sure what she was trying to say. Was she begging them to let her go so that she could help Glenn? Or was she asking them to help her? She lowered her bat, hoping to show them that she was willing to make peace if _they_ were.

A door opening sounded behind them. Faster than Alice could turn around, the blue-eyed man swung his crossbow back to eye level. He strode past her, angling his body away so that he didn't make any contact with her, and began walking forwards, scanning the aisles.

"Merle!" The man hissed, looking back at his companion, gesturing for him to follow. The leather clad man winked at her again as he walked past her towards the archer, his riffle raised.

Alice stood frozen for a second before deciding to follow the men. If they could distract the three men outside, she and Glenn could make a run for it. She stayed behind the two men, her bat was raised, ready to strike. Footsteps echoed somewhere in front of them.

"They have guns," she warned, gently tugging on the back of the older man's leather vest.

He scoffed, but his response was cut short as they both heard a man speaking. She didn't let go of the man's vest as they turned the corner.

"Ohhhh weee! Lookie here, we have company! Hello _again_ , rednecks." She heard a voice sing out.

"Shut up, Paulie!" a man barked.

She didn't let go of the man's vest as they turned the corner. Cautiously, Alice peeked out from behind the man, but he roughly pushed her back a display stand. The archer was standing in front of three men, crossbow aimed at the man gripping Glenn in front of him. Glenn was being held at gunpoint. These men were smiling, yet there was nothing nice about them. They looked like they had not bathed in months, their skin blackened by dirt. Their teeth were yellow and rotted. The stench that came from them engulfed the whole room, causing Alice to hold her breath as long as she could. They smelled like walkers.

"Look, we don't want _any_ trouble here, Merle." the man continued, nodding to the two men. His eyes darting between the two companions Alice just met. "We didn't know the boy was with you. We thought we saw a girl,"

"S' just us. We ain't seen no piece of ass lately," the younger man said, but he didn't lower his crossbow.

"Well, now. That's funny because this oriental fellow here," Paulie said slowly, gesturing at Glenn, "mentioned that you _did_ have a lady friend, but he said she left to meet with the rest of your group. Didn't know you trailer trash even had a group. Now, which one is it?"

The younger man growled and took a menacing step towards Paulie.

"Paulie! Shut up!" the man in the middle snapped. Even though he had a gun pointed at the younger man, he must have sensed he was outnumbered with a crossbow and a riffle pointed at his chest.

The man holding Glenn ignored his gun wielding companion. He grabbed Glenn's hair and yanked him backwards. "We'll make a trade—oriental man here for the lady," the man said. Paulie nodded his agreement, grinning, "well come on Dixon! Make the trade."

"Even if we did have a piece of tail with us… and we ain't…it seems it would be a poor ass decision to trade 'er for Chinaman 'ere," the older man said, nonchalantly shrugging at Glenn. "I thought the _friend_ o' yours I would be rescuing would be a damsel in distress, not Chinaman here," he muttered under his breath so that only Alice could here.

Alice was beginning to think that everything would work out as she saw the three men exchange worried glances. Then she heard a low moan echoing behind her. _Bugger it all,_ Alice thought as she whipped around to see two walkers grunting, rushing towards her. They were inches away from her. She sidestepped one of the walkers quickly, swinging her bat. It connected with the back of the walker's skull. It was a ferocious blow that broke several bones in the walker's head. The second zombie fared no better.

She turned ready to strike the walker again, just to be sure that he was truly dead, but then she froze as she heard a wolf whistle.

"Well, beautiful, you have exceeded my _wildest_ expectations," she heard one of the men say. She slowly turned around to see the three men leering at her, "and here I was thinking you would be another one of 'em Orientals. I am _not_ disappointed. Why don't we come to an agreement, Dixon? We could share. What do you say—

The man holding Glenn didn't finish his sentence because the younger man fired his crossbow. The arrow went straight through his left eye. Glenn scrambled away from the crumpled body. And then all hell broke loose.

Before she could react, something hard hit her across her temple and she fell at once to the ground. She heard two guns go off simultaneously. She could hear Glenn yelling in panic, but the ringing in her ears was drowning out any other noise. It took her a minute to realize that there was a fourth man in the group. He was now standing over her, gun pointed at someone. She heard his gun go off and then she heard an angry roar from what sounded like the younger man.

The man standing over her stepped forward and tried to grab her by the arms. Instinctively, she rolled to the side and kicked him hard in the groin. He immediately let go of her and the gun to take care of his injured member. Alice scrambled up, reaching for her bat. She kicked him again, this time in the knee. There was a loud _pop_ and he fell over in agony. She whipped around to see the younger man scrambling for a dropped gun, kicking at one of the attackers who was also scrambling for it. Glenn was fighting off two walkers who must have heard the gunshots. There were several more walkers banging on the windows of the store. But what caught her eye was the three walkers who were stumbling towards the older man who was busy wrestling his riffle from the last man. She acted immediately.

"DUCK, Merlin!"

The man barely had any time to react before Alice swung her metal bat at his attacker. She had never hit a person before with her bat. Walkers, sure, but never people. She only threatened people with the bat. But, the mechanics were the same. The bat made immediate contact with his head. He fell backwards instantly, but he wasn't quite dead. He was crying and rolling on the ground in agony, clutching his head. Alice squeezed the bat, feeling sick, but she raised it again, smashing it down on his head for a second time, ending his screaming once and for all. The older man recovered quickly—he fired several quick shots at the remaining walkers.

She turned back and was just in time to see the archer lift a gun to Paulie's head and pull the trigger. She flinched as the blood spurted in every direction.

Glenn was standing near the walkers he killed, panting and looking at her with panicked eyes. Paulie's blood was splattered on his face.

"Oh my god…" Glenn whispered, pulling his baseball cap over his eyes, "I think I'm gonna be sick."

Alice bent over, falling to her knees, thinking she was going to vomit. Rough hands grabbed her, bringing her to her feet, but Alice had no strength to stand. Her head began pounding, her vision all but blurred beyond recognition. Suddenly, she felt the nausea rise in her throat, but she kept it down. Alice took deep, shaky breaths to slow her heart rate before she had some sort of panic attack.

"Who the fuck is Merlin?" the younger man asked, who was still at her side, holding her upright. He was looking down at the man Alice had wacked over the head with the bat in shock.

"Holy fuck! Did you see that baby-brother?!" Merlin, or whatever the hell the guy's name was, suddenly shouted grinning at Alice.

"Dammit, Merle…" the archer hissed, "Keep yer voice down."

"Well hello, doll. Where have ya been all my life?" Merle, asked her loudly, still grinning at her, clearly ignoring his companion's warning, "ya look like you're 'round eighteen. Your legal, right? You ever been with a real man? Not the oriental kind?"

"Merle, shut up." The younger man growled.

She heard Merle continue to cackle and shout, but she chose to ignore his comments. "I was probably in medical school," Alice muttered under her breath as she straightened her back. She pushed the archer away from her. She noticed that her hands were still shaking.

"There's probably more walkers on the way," she said, breathing heavily, looking between the three men and the walkers pounding on the glass doors.

She felt Glenn grab her arm, "Let's go, Alice!" She turned to him, nodding in agreement, gripping his arm tightly back, needing reassurance from him that he was alright.

"Hold up there, Chinaman. We ain't rushin' nowhere! I think sweet-cheeks over here outta give 'ole Merle a favor for savin' her ass."

"We ain't got time for this, bro. We gotta go!" the younger man muttered gruffly, placing a hand onto Merle's shoulder.

"I'm Korean! And that's racist!" Glenn exclaimed, but the younger man was already walking towards the back exit, ushering his brother out, who was still talking loudly. "Hot damn, little-brother, did'ja see her? Those tits and that ass…!"

Alice didn't take Merle's comments to heart. She had met a lot of men similar to him over her years as a medical student and as a resident. They were all talk. When it came down to it, Merle had saved her from getting raped.

"HEY! Merle… and uh, um…Darylina! Thanks!" She called after them, wincing as she uttered his name, realizing that was probably not his real name. The younger man stopped suddenly, turning back to scowl at her, "S' Daryl," he grumbled. _Of course_ , Alice thought. She then noticed that _Daryl_ was limping. There was a hole in his blood-soaked jeans… he must have been shot. A wave of guilt washed over her. Merle and Daryl didn't have to help her and Glenn, but they had. And as a result, Daryl got shot.

"Wait, Daryl" she said, walking towards them, Glenn at her side. "I can help you with the bullet wound. I'm a doctor and I have supplies—Glenn and I have a campsite a mile from here, near the Ferry—

"Don't need yer help," Daryl snorted interrupting her just as Merle exclaimed in surprise, "Oh-ho! You're a fuckin' doctor?"

"Alice! We have to go! Um, thanks guys!" Glenn called to her, urgently pulling her towards the exit. She could hear the glass breaking behind them so she quickly waved at the two men before following Glenn out of the pharmacy. Her and Glenn began to walk quickly back to the direction of their campsite, but Alice stopped to look at the two brothers. Merle was already in the truck but she noticed that Daryl was standing near the hood of the truck, looking at her through squinted eyes. When he saw her staring he turned away abruptly and walked to the side of the truck, yanking open the driver's door with a loud screech. The door slammed with a thud.


	3. Chapter 3

**Characters are from TWD. I am just writing for fun :)**

* * *

 **An Irresistible Offer?**

* * *

Alice didn't think she would be able to fall asleep after the day long ordeal, so she offered to take first watch. She could hear Glenn's steady breathing beside her, but that did little to calm her nerves. She had just _killed_ a man.

Before the world went to hell, Alice had finished her first year of neurosurgery training at Hopkins. She spent 3 months in the neuroscience ICU. And as a result, Alice had seen her fair share traumas and deaths. She had seen hundreds of patients with traumatic brain injuries induced because of gunshot wounds, falls, and car accidents. This head trauma often led to hemorrhaging and shearing of the brain tissue and as a result, some of these patient's brains were damaged beyond repair. After a month, she found that there was very little that could shock her in the ICU. Maybe she was just becoming immune to their suffering.

She had seen too many of these cases to count, but she couldn't say that she had ever personally induced this damage. Today, she had taken a baseball bat and bashed a living man across the face with it. Glenn had wiped the blood off of the bat when they got back to their small tent, but she couldn't really wipe the image of the man rolling on the ground at her feet from her memory that easily.

Alice was a logical person, and she knew that if she hadn't killed the man, he would have raped her. Maybe he would have murdered the two brothers, and God forbid, Glenn. She didn't necessarily regret killing him, but her hands shook as she remembered the sound of his skull splintering underneath her bat.

When it was her turn to sleep, Glenn eyed her carefully but didn't say anything. She concentrated on Glenn's breathing to help lull her to sleep. Eventually, she drifted into a troubled slumber. Recently, she only dreamed of her family and of death. Today is no different—the nightmares devour her and escape is futile.

 _"Can I be excused?" Alice asks her first-grade teacher. She's in tears by the time she reaches her sister's classroom. She knocks on the door, asking to speak to her older sister._

 _"I forgot my lunch," she sniffles when she sees Nancy at the door._

 _"Chin up, Alice," Nancy says. She walks to her cubby and a minute later her sister is back, holding out her lunchbox to her._

 _"Won't you be hungry?" Alice asks, clutching the lunchbox to her chest._

 _"I'm not that hungry," Nancy says with a smile._

 _The dream fades but Alice is sure—she's never been more certain of anything else in her life— that Nancy is somewhere out there looking for her. Alice knows that she's going to find her alive because Nancy is tough. Tougher, stronger, better than she ever was or will be. She would give absolutely anything to talk to her older sister now. She needs her sister to look her in the eye and tell her that everything will be alright. She wants to sob into Nancy's shoulder, crying for her parents and for Derrick, who called her from the hospital before he died. He fell ill with the sickness and he knew what would happen next so he called her, trying to explain to her everything that him and Dr. Pruitt knew about the epidemic._

 _Alice knows that the next image that float to her mind isn't real. It's a dream. She wasn't there when Derrick died. He was alone in the hospital, but she imagines being with him as he died. She would have held him. She doesn't think she would have been able to let go. In her dream, she's clutching Derrick's body to her._

 _"Derrick, not yet" she whispers, but he is unable to speak. All he can do is mouth "I love you" to her over and over again. Just outside the door she hears the usual noise of the hospital—carts rolling by, doctors speaking in hushed tones, nurses moving with quickened footsteps, but at the bed, she's staring at Derrick in silence. He's brown eyes close. He's dead. Then his eyes snap open. She watches in horror as his face morphs into the face of the man she killed. She grips her bat and drives it down into his skull. It makes a sickening noise. There's blood dripping over his forehead, a gaping wound where she had broken his skull. She hits him again and again and again until there's hardly anything left of his head. Blood splatters onto the floor._

 _The dream moves on and Alice cannot escape the inevitable, familiar scene that follows._

 _"Mom? Dad?" Alice cries and she kneels beside her parents and continues to shake her parents. They aren't waking up. She thought she had more time. She knows what's next. She knew the moment she saw them bitten. She turns her mother's shoulders so that she would face her. A spot of blood is on the pillow and she can see it on the edge of her mouth. She clutches her father's body, sobbing. She takes the knife from her the duffle bag. Her hands are shaking. She begins to weep._

"Alice!"

Alice emerged from the nightmare, aware of Glenn at her right side, shaking her. She sat upright, sobbing. She was crying because of the man she killed, because of Nancy, because of Derrick, and because of her parents. She couldn't stop the words as they poured from somewhere deep inside of her, these words were buried so deep inside, for too long. "I'm so sorry! I killed my own parents. They were bit. I had to. And I _loved_ them. And Derrick. I _waited_ for him for so _long_ and now he's gone too."

She couldn't breath as pain swept through her body. Glenn tugged her into him awkwardly at first as if he was unsure if he was allowed to touch her. Then when she crawled into his arms, he tightened his grip. She continued to sob. Glenn held her as she sank to the ground.

When Alice awoke, she could hear voices outside of the tent. Glenn was no longer by her side. Neither was his knife. Alice sat up immediately, hand reaching for her bat.

"Let me wake her, alright?" she heard Glenn say from outside the tent.

"Hurry, Chink!"

 _Merle Dixon,_ Alice thought as she stood up.

"Oh! Your awake," Glenn said, as he peaked into the tent. "There's um…Daryl and Merle are here."

She immediately caught sight of the two brothers standing just outside her tent. She was a little surprised to see Merle and Daryl at her campsite, but she waved at them anyways. Merle turned to greet her as if she were an old friend. "Morin' Doc," Merle said as she approached them, thumping her on the back, "you look like shit!"

"Thanks, Merle." Alice grumbled. But to be fair, it was probably true. _Of course_ she looked terrible. She had killed a man yesterday. She hadn't looked at herself in the mirror lately but after last night's breakdown she probably had puffy, bloodshot eyes.

Glenn shrugged at her helplessly as she turned to Daryl **.** He was leaning heavily on his right side. "You alright?" she asked in way of greeting. Daryl was awkwardly shuffling his feet, not knowing where to look.

"You said you would take a look at my leg," Daryl muttered, gesturing at his thigh, "I think s' infected."

"Cashin' in our favor for savin' you, Doc. Though I can think of a few other ways you could repa—

"Glenn, why don't you, uh, show Merle around camp. I'll take a look at Daryl in the tent," Alice cut Merle off.

Glenn threw her an incredulous look. There was literally nothing in their campsite—just the tent and Glenn's car. He also didn't seem thrilled at the prospect of spending more time with Merle.

"Oh-ho! I get it, you want some alone time with Darylina here," Merle exclaimed, grabbing Glenn by the shoulder. "Ya heard the doctor, let's go Chinaman, you can help me with the truck. Take care of my baby-brother, sugar." With that, Merle sent his brother a wink and pulled a stunned Glenn away towards his parked truck.

"I already told you, I'm Korean!"

"Whatever!"

"Shut up, Merle," Daryl snapped at the retreating figures, but he followed her into the tent.

She gestured for Daryl to lie on one of the sleeping bags. He looked nervous—he was biting his thumb and avoiding her gaze, but he lay down on the sleeping bag without protest.

"Okay. So how exactly do I do this?" Alice attempted a joke as she elevated his leg with Glenn's backpack.

"You ain't a doctor?" Daryl exclaimed, sitting up in surprise.

"Me?" Alice asked in mock surprise, "You wouldn't believe it, but I happen to be a prolific romance novelist. I wrote about romances in the hospital, so don't worry—I know what I'm doing."

Daryl stared at Alice blankly as she fished around in her duffle bag for the first aid kit. As the silence remained, Alice turned to look at Daryl and laughed at his expression as she sat down next to him.

"No. No. I am a doctor. That was a joke. Sorry. My bedside manner is a little rusty," Alice hurried to explain.

"Now, don't take this the wrong way Daryl, but I'm gonna need you to take your pants off," Alice said, trying her luck at humor again.

"Jesus. What sorta doctor are you?" Daryl grumbled. The question was rhetorical, but Alice could see the blush rising on his face as he unbuttoned his jeans so she politely looked away and continued speaking.

"A neurosurgeon. At least I would have been if the world had not gone to hell. I just finished my first year of residency."

"Uh-huh."

"Well, alright, you don't have to sound so skeptical. Now, let me take a look."

Daryl began to squirm under her gaze. For his sake, she avoided mentioning his colorful boxer choice—she and Glenn had to raid department stores for clothing and their first choices weren't always available either. Instead she concentrated on the bullet wound.

"This is good. It skimmed your upper thigh. There's no shards in your leg. I'm going to need to clean it and then you will need a few stiches."

Alice reached for the alcohol and cotton swabs. "This might sting," she warned and began to dab the alcohol on the bullet hole. Daryl flinched slightly at the burn from the alcohol.

"So, what did you do before this?" She asked him as she cleaned his leg.

"What's it to you? S' infected?" Daryl asked, avoiding answering her question. His eyes were now closed. He leaned back, his chest rising and falling with deep, deliberate breaths.

"Just making conversation and it's not infected. The wound is deep, but it should heal pretty quickly. I'll give you some antibiotics too. I don't have anything to numb the leg though, so this is gonna hurt."

"You don't have to give me any meds," Daryl grunted as she began to push the needle through Daryl's skin. He winced as she worked the needle through.

"It's the least I can do," she said, "I'm gonna give you a painkiller once I'm done. Precocet. It's going to take a little while to kick in."

"You think I don't fuckin' know? I ain't an idiot." Daryl snapped and then cleared his throat, looking at her apologetically, "and, uh, thanks."

She grinned at him, not taking offense at his comment. She was used to patients who felt embarrassed or felt intimated by doctors. "I should have given you one before I started stitching you up… sorry! I completely forgot I got them yesterday. It was a busy day. I got a buncha supplies—an ankle and wrist support for Glenn too. He made his own braces, but they were falling apart."

"S'okay. It don't hurt much….Yer boyfriend, he a doctor too? Or is _he_ the fuckin' romance novelist?" Daryl asked her, staring intently at a hangnail on his thumb.

Alice looked up at him and laughed in surprise—Daryl was actually attempting to make conversation. And he was joking!

"Glenn? No. He's not my boyfriend. And he's not a doctor…or a novelist. He was a pizza delivery boy."

When Daryl snorted she threw him a mock glare, "shh. You won't even tell me what you did before this, so I don't want to hear any judgments from you. Now, hold still for a second. I'm almost done here. It's actually nice to do this…stich and talk. Almost feels like I'm back at the hospital. It kinda makes me forget about everything else."

He looked up from his wound to stare up at her. She blushed slightly under his gaze. "Ya killed a man yesterday. That ain't somthin' you can forget" he suddenly blurted out. Alice winced, remembering her nightmare.

"Yeah. Well. So did you." She finished by pressing a piece of gauze to the wound and secured it with tape. "Alright, you are all set. I'll see you back here in a week for your checkup."

She saw the corner of Daryl's mouth turn up in a slight smile at her joke. He nodded at her and then began to try to pull his jeans up.

"But seriously, just give it two weeks and then you can take the stiches out. I'll give you some clean gauze too."

She reached to help him but he swatted away her hand, "I can do it myself," he insisted roughly, and then cleared his throat and softened his voice, "Merle an' me met the men a couple of days ago before we ran into you. They weren't good people."

Alice found herself surprisingly comforted by his words and she smiled brightly down at him. Daryl's ears turned a little pink, making Alice smile grow even wider. Daryl finished buttoning his jeans up and Alice offered him a hand up. Daryl looked at her outstretched arm for a second before pushing himself up without her assistance. He grunted slightly as he knocked his injured leg on the duffle bag.

"Are you allergic to any medications? Like penicillin?" she asked, internally shaking her head at his display of masculine pride. He shook his head so she handed him his painkiller and a bottle of water. "I can also give you Cephalexin. It's an antibiotic that—

"Merle has some stuff. I don't need the c-eph…uh, the antibiotic," Daryl said, "save it for yer next patient." But, he took the painkiller and swallowed it.

"Thanks for stichin' me up, even if it were yer own damn fault I got shot in the first place," Daryl grunted, but he held the tent flap open for her.

"What a gentleman," Alice couldn't help teasing him, fascinated with the way his cheeks flushed pink as she stepped past him.

He limped out of the tent, following her towards Glenn and Merle who were talking in hushed voices near the truck, looking at a map.

"She patched ya up, Darylina?" Merle asked his brother, not raising his head from the land map.

"Bad news, Merle. The leg has to go. It's a really bad infection." Alice told the older brother seriously. Merle whipped his head around. Alice met his eyes, trying to keep her face still. His face morphed from horror into shock and then froze in surprise.

"She's kiddin', man." Daryl muttered, throwing her an incredulous look.

"The fuck's wrong with you, girl?" Merle barked, shaking his head.

Alice shrugged and then addressed both brothers, "Well what are your plans now? Where are you two headed? Daryl, you have to keep off of the leg for a bit."

"We're headin' to Atlanta," Daryl responded, leaning on the truck door to keep his weight off the foot.

"Atlanta is overrun with walkers," Glenn broke the news to Daryl, "I've told Merle already. There's no refugee center. Alice and I were there for a supply run recently. The government actually _bombed_ the place. Sure, there's supplies but it's completely overrun."

Alice looked at Daryl sympathetically. When her and Glenn found out that Atlanta was a dead end, they were also pretty broken up about it.

"Son of a _bitch_!" Daryl cursed, kicking the truck angrily with his good foot.

"They were throwing napalm in the streets. There's nothing there for you two," Alice confirmed.

"Yer boyfriend told me plenty 'bout Atlanta. He says yer headin' to the CDC," Merle suddenly said, throwing his brother a significant look.

Alice looked at Glenn and then back at Merle, "yeah, that's right. We are heading to the CDC."

"Tell you what," Merle said after a long pause. "Y'all can come join us. We can head to the CDC together. You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours, that sorta thang." Merle said to Alice, winking.

Alice stared at Merle and Daryl for a second before she responded. Daryl was shuffling his feet again. _He's probably annoyed at his brother for not consulting with him first_ , Alice thought.

"I have to discuss this with Glenn first, if you don't mind."

Merle just shrugged, "We'll take care a ya, won't let none o' them "walkers" get ya two. I ain't gonna offer again."

Glenn opened his mouth to say something before being stepped on by Alice. Glenn bit into his bottom lip to keep from making a noise of pain, and turned to look at Alice questioningly.

"Glenn? Let's go." Alice ordered as she led him back to the tent, leaving the brothers to talk as well.

"What the hell, Glenn?" she hissed when they were out of earshot.

"I didn't say you were my girlfriend!" Glenn hurried to assure her. Alice scoffed and waved him off. "Glenn, I know. I just don't think we want to travel with them. Daryl seems fine, but Merle might be a loose cannon—

"I know. I know. But, maybe we can give it a trial run. I mean, we'll get to the CDC faster with them. And our car is a piece of junk and it's almost out of gas… and I don't know how to rig cars and siphon gas!"

"Are you sure _you_ want to deal with _Merle Dixon_?"

"He's limited the number of times he's referred to me as Chinaman, so that's nice. He's a good shot with the riffle and I don't think he's going to do anything _too_ stupid. He's already mapped out the best route to take. They've saved us once. Besides, there's safety in numbers, right? We've been wanting to find survivors for months now. And here's our chance."

Alice carefully considered what Glenn was telling her. If yesterday proved anything, it proved that there was indeed safety in numbers. Her and Glenn had discussed joining a group of survivors if they had the chance. She turned back to look at the brothers, eyeing them carefully. She slowly nodded her head again. "O.K. Alright. I trust your judgment Glenn and I don't think they are going to do us any harm either."

Glenn squeezed her shoulder and the two walked back to the Dixons who also looked like they were done talking.

"Well?" Daryl demanded while he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"If the offer still stands, I say we team up." Alice said, addressing Daryl, "I guess you won't have to remove the stiches yourself. Lucky you."

* * *

Thank you so much to those of you who are following and reviewing the story! It means so much to me :) This is a shorter chapter, but the next chapter will be up soon. I hope you are enjoying the story!


	4. Chapter 4

**Characters are from TWD. I am just writing for fun :)**

* * *

 **I Spy**

* * *

"I spy with my little eye something beginning with G."

"Glenn. I'm warning you now…If it's grass again, I'm going to scream."

She had been playing road trip games with Glenn for about an hour now as they drove behind the Dixons' truck. The plan was to stop by a lake which was probably a few miles away now to stock up on water before starting the drive up to the CDC. Alice had wanted to start the drive straight away, but they were down to two water bottles and the lake was on the way. So, the plan was to set up a camp near water for a few days until Glenn and Daryl recovered.

"Yeah, well it's better than _your_ hints." Glenn imitated her, raising his voice an octave higher. "Glenn, I spy with my little eye something beginning with P. No Glenn, you're so silly! It's not the plants. It's your Palmaris Longus! How was I supposed to know that's what the muscle in my wrist is called?!"

Alice threw her head back and laughed, "Okay. Okay, I get it. Is it the garbage by the road?"

"No, but that would have been a good one."

"Glove compartment box?"

"Nope!"

"It's grass, isn't it?"

"Maybe…"

"Glenn…You are the _worst_ person to play this with."

"Cheer up, Doc. The road trip is going to be over soon. You can drive up to the CDC with Daryl. I'm sure he'll play I Spy with you."

Alice sighed and glared at Glenn who was now laughing at her misery, but before Alice could answer, she heard the engine sputter. She looked at Glenn in concern.

"Aaaaand, our engine is dead. We're pretty much out of gas too," Glenn sighed and pulled over the car. Alice opened the window and waved the Dixons over.

"Well, we knew this would happen eventually…" Alice said as she got out of the car. She gripped her bat tightly as she looked around before relaxing slightly. One could never be too careful.

"Engine's dead. And no gas," Glenn called out to Daryl who got out of the truck first.

"S' getting' dark out anyways. We'll set up camp here. Lake's 'bout half a mile from here. We'll take a look at the car tomorrow," Daryl said as he began unloading his camp gear from the back of the truck.

Merle grabbed a backpack from the truck and walked off into the woods without a second glance at them. Alice and Glenn exchanged a glance and then simultaneously turned to Daryl for an explanation. Daryl was busy setting up his tent near the edge of the woods.

"Merle's placin' snares," Daryl said without looking up from his work.

Alice nodded her head at the explanation and went to go help Glenn with their tent. She was absolutely starving. It seemed ridiculous to her that only 3 months ago she was going to the gym every day to stay in shape. Now, she had never looked more fit. Running from walkers for dear life did that. _Well, it's not my diet_ … Alice thought. She had been drinking soda, munching on candy bars, and other junk food her and Glenn found to keep herself fueled. If Merle could find them any sort of meat, she would be absolutely thrilled.

"I'm going to look around the campsite. I'll check for walkers." Alice told Glenn when she finished helping him set up the tent.

"I'll go with you," Glenn offered, attempting to stand but he wobbled slightly, his ankle still unstable.

"Rest your foot. I'll be back soon," Alice assured him, "and keep your ankle elevated," she added.

Glenn looked hesitant but he nodded his agreement.

"Stay within shouting distance!" He called after her.

As she walked into the woods, Alice felt more than saw Daryl fall into step behind her. "You should be resting your leg, Daryl," she told him.

She heard him scoff behind her, "S' fine. My legs been cramped for too long in the truck. I ain't plannin' on sittin' 'round doin' nothin'."

Alice wasn't sure if that was a pointed remark about Glenn so she chose to ignore it.

"You are tougher than you look, Daryl."

"What's that supposed ta mean? Sayin' I look weak?" Daryl grunted, catching up until he was directly next to her.

"Well, you know, sometimes it's the toughest guys that complain about the smallest aches and pains… not that your bullet wound is a small injury," Alice clarified as she looked around the woods, listening for any moaning or stumbling figures.

"I ain't a bitch," Daryl said roughly, but accepted her explanation.

They walked along in silence for half an hour. Alice had always considered herself to be agile and light on her feet, but walking alongside Daryl in the woods, she felt like an elephant. He almost didn't make a sound, but she constantly would step on twigs or jump at a bird's call.

"So, you and Merle grew up around here?" Alice asked, breaking the silence.

"Uh-huh," Daryl answered as he fired an arrow at a yet another squirrel.

Daryl's crossbow proved to be very useful. He could shoot with surprising accuracy— he had already managed to bag three squirrels even with the sun setting rapidly, diminishing visibility drastically. Apparently, Daryl also knew how to track. Occasionally, he would squat down and analyze an animal track he noticed. They were now pretty far away from the campsite, but Alice didn't feel unsafe with Daryl at her side. Quite the opposite really. She felt safe, which was a rarity these days.

"How can you tell if it's a walker's track?" She asked him as he squatted next to him to analyze a track.

"This one ain't. They drag their feet…ain't light on their toes. S' a person's but it's real old," Daryl explained to her.

"I think it's so amazing that you know this stuff, Daryl. It's really handy to know. If I had known the world would be ending, I would have taken some wilderness survival courses," Alice said, looking at the track thoughtfully.

Daryl didn't say anything in return, but he looked up from the footprint to stare at her intently. Alice continued, "my med school offered a wilderness medicine elective one semester where we would have been taught a bunch of useful things like how to treat stings, bites, heat injuries, burns, wound care, etcetera, but I always hated camping so the course sounded like an absolute nightmare. I lived in big cities my whole life so I thought it would be useless. I was an _idiot_."

Alice was thrown for a loop when she saw Daryl stand up, straighten himself, and then offer her his free hand, almost gallantly, to help her up. Alice found her hand accepting his gentlemanly offer. It felt strangely comforting to clasp his hand, even if it was only for a split second.

"We should head back. I don't want to leave Glenn for too long," Alice mumbled. She brushed off the small electric spark she felt when her hand met his, chalking it up to surprise that Daryl offered her assistance.

"I'm gonna look 'round some more, gather us some more food. Don't get lost." Daryl ordered. He already had three squirrels strung to his belt, but Alice wasn't planning on complaining about having extra food for the night.

"Be careful," Alice said, but Daryl was already walking further into the woods without a second glance back at her.

She shrugged her shoulders at his sudden retreat and began to trudge back to Glenn. _Well, that was weird,_ Alice thought. Daryl and her had walked further than she had anticipated, but thankfully they deemed the area safe.

She must have jinxed herself because only a few minutes after she thought about how lucky they were to find such a good campsite, she paused when she heard a branch snap somewhere in the distance. Immediately, she became alert. She gripped her bat.

"Daryl?" she hissed, straining her ears. There was no reply.

"Merle?" she tried again, but this time she distinctly heard footsteps. She was about to choose the cowards way out and run at full speed back to camp when she glimpsed the source of the sound. It was a one-armed walker who was stumbling towards something at a surprisingly slow pace. _Pathetic._ She adjusted her grip on the bat and was about to walk up to the walker to finish him when she saw a young girl hiding behind a tree, staring at her with wide eyes.

She looked to be around ten or eleven and in her hand, she was clutching a rock. Before Alice could warn the girl, she threw the rock at the walker's head. She missed by a mile. If anything, her assassination-attempt only served to anger the walker.

 _Oh, give me a break,_ Alice mentally lamented. She sped up and before the girl could react, or even worse, scream, Alice took a swing and in one stroke, ended the walker's miserable life.

"Please, don't scream!" Alice warned the girl quickly. She jumped slightly at her voice, so against her better judgment, Alice slowly lowered her bat and held her hands out so that the girl could see that she meant no harm.

"It's okay. I promise. What's your name?" she asked the girl, squatting down so that she was at eyelevel with her.

"Sophia," the girl said, smiling at Alice as she stepped out from behind the tree.

Alice sighed in relief when she saw that she didn't look harmed, or even worse, bitten. There was a nasty gash underneath her eye, but other than that she was fine.

"I'm Alice. Where are your parents? Are you alone—

"Sophia! Where are you?" a voice suddenly hissed. The girl jumped and looked at her apologetically.

"That's Carl. I wasn't supposed to wander off. But Carl and I went out exploring. Our camp is nearby."

"I'll walk you back. Now, let's go find Carl," Alice told her immediately.

"Thanks," the girl told her, looking up at her in relief.

"Carl? Sophia is safe. Come on out," Alice called quietly, not wanting to attract any unwanted attention.

"You probably should not wander off," Alice told a young boy who stepped out from behind another tree a few meters away.

"We didn't think there'd be any of those things here. I didn't see him, sorry, Sophia," the boy told his friend apologetically, "I would have tried to stop him if I had seen him going for you."

"It's okay, Carl," Sophia told her friend, wiping her eyes.

"Are you alone here?" Carl asked her as the trio began walking back to the kids' camp.

"I have a couple of friends here," Alice told them. She wanted to get back to Glenn ASAP. If Merle and Daryl were already back and she wasn't, Glenn would panic.

"What happened to your eye?" Alice asked Sophia when she saw the young girl gingerly touching the cut under her eye.

"It wasn't one of them," Sophia hurried to assure her, "I ran into a branch."

"I'll take a look at the cut under your eye. Just don't touch it," Alice promised.

"CARL! SOPHIA!" A chorus of voices suddenly erupted in the distance.

"They know that noise attracts the walkers, right?" Alice muttered, speeding up. As they exited the woods, Alice could see a big campsite with a number of cars. There were at least a dozen people standing around, looking panicked.

"OH! Carl! Thank God." A brunette woman cried as she saw Alice and the kids make their way through the bushes into the camp.

"I'm okay, Mom. Alice helped Sophia and I. I'm sorry I left," Carl told his Mom who was now hugging him to her chest.

Alice stood awkwardly as a large number of people ran up to her. A shorthaired woman was now clutching Sophia to her chest.

"Who are you?" A tall, dark haired man asked Alice, eyeing her and her bloody bat carefully.

"Alice," she told him, extending her hand out in greeting, "my car broke down the road from here." She didn't drop her bat and decided against mentioning her group before she understood who these people were. The fact that there were kids and women was a good sign though.

"Shane," the man said, gripping her hand.

"I'm Lori. Carl's mother," the brunette woman introduced herself.

"She saved us from one of _them_." Carl told Shane.

"Oh my god," Lori gasped.

"Thank you for saving my little girl," Sophia's mom told her, squeezing her arm.

"You ran into a zombie so far into the countryside?" Shane asked her, looking alarmed.

"I was surprised too, but by now, there's walkers everywhere nowadays," Alice told the group, giving Sophia's mom a gentle smile.

"Walkers?"

"Zombies, lamebrains, living dead, undead, etcetera. Same thing."

"Are you bit, Sophia? Is that a scratch? Did one of things scratch you?" A big, beady eyed man suddenly exclaimed, yanking Sophia roughly towards him when he noticed the cut on her face.

"Ed—

"Shut up, woman! Answer me, did it get ya?!" Ed interrupted the woman's plea.

"No," Sophia whimpered, squirming in his grip. "It's just a branch scratch, daddy"

"Here," Alice said, swinging her backpack off of her shoulder just as Shane placed a warning hand on Ed's shoulder. "I'll take a look." She didn't like the way the father was manhandling his daughter and she also didn't like the way the mother cowered away from him.

"Do you want me to do it?" Lori asked Carol. At the same time Shane asked, "you're a nurse?"

"Doctor, actually," Alice said removing her kit from the bag, handing it out to Lori, "be my guest," Alice told her, a little annoyed at her behavior. When both Lori and Carol shook their heads, Alice turned back to Sophia.

"It's not even going to leave a scar. I'll must put some antiseptic on it, but I'm going to clean it first. This is going to sting a tiny bit." she told Sophia, smiling slightly at her.

"It's been a difficult time for everyone. How have you been holding up? Didn't run into too much trouble getting here?" Shane asked her as she began to clean Sophia's cut.

"No, not really… it's been a dreadful bore out there," Alice replied, shaking her head causing Lori to stare at her with her mouth gaping open like a fish. "That was a joke. Sorry," Alice explained dully a few moments later. "It's been really tough," she finished lamely.

"I'm Dale," a bearded man in a fisherman's hat interrupted the awkward exchange when she finished tending to Sophia's cut, "I can take a look at your car. And Jim here's a mechanic."

"You can stay in our camp," Shane added, "having a doctor here would really put some of us at ease."

Presently, Alice had a huge headache. She felt completely exhausted. Looking around the camp, she finally noticed how _nice_ it actually was. In comparison, her and Glenn had been slumming it. There was a large RV, a number of chairs, clothing lines hung up, scattered pots and pans and a water cooler. Besides, being in such a large group would offer her protection. She knew for a fact that Glenn would want to stay in their campsite. She wasn't sure about Merle and Daryl. _Well, maybe Merle would like it,_ Alice thought when she caught a glimpse of two beautiful blondes standing near the RV. She wondered for a split second if Daryl preferred blondes to brunettes before shaking the silly thought away.

"I'm traveling with three other people," Alice admitted hesitantly, "is it okay if they stay here too?" She heard Ed scoff so she added, "we have our own supplies. We can pull our own weight."

"I think we can all agree that they are welcome here too," Dale said, looking around the camp for confirmation.

"I'd like to meet your group members," Shane told her. His tone left no room for argument.

Alice shrugged noncommittedly, but internally she was praying to God that Merle Dixon would be on his best behavior.

* * *

I am glad that you are enjoying the story and the funny moments I add :) I will for sure be writing a chapter from Daryl's perspective and hopefully that will clarify what both parties are starting to feel. And in my head, I do picture Alicia V. as Alice. I am not totally going to follow everything that happens in the TV show, but I do want to have the original gang included at least at the start of the story because I think it will allow for Daryl's and Alice's character growth (but it will diverge from the TV show soon). I hope the characters' behavior is not too OOC (let me know if it is. I am trying my best). The story is a little slow right now, but it will be progressing quickly after the first couple of chapters-I just need to set the scene for the trip up to the CDC (where Alice will feel right in her element!)


	5. Chapter 5

**Characters are from TWD. I am just writing for fun :)**

* * *

 **Making Plans**

* * *

"So, how long have you been camping out here?" Alice asked Shane and T-Dog as she opened the passenger door and got into the car.

The two men had generously offered her a ride back to camp. That was good because in all honesty, Alice knew for a fact that she would have gotten lost in the woods. She had an abysmal sense of direction. Now, without GPS on her phone, her incapability was only exacerbated. So, she readily accepted Shane's offer, thankful that Daryl wouldn't have to track her down, only to find her stumbling through the forest aimlessly. That would have been embarrassing.

"We haven't really been keeping track. Concept of time doesn't mean nothin' nowadays," T-Dog lamented with a shrug, "maybe a few weeks?"

"You planning on staying here long?"

"I don't think it's as safe as we originally thought. There's more walkers here than we expected." Shane answered her as he started up the engine.

"It's safe to assume that there's very few, if any, safe places left." Alice told him, raising an eyebrow.

Shane shrugged at her response, "I heard Fort Benning could be safe, maybe the CDC."

Alice contemplated telling Shane about the CDC, wondering if their group would consider traveling with her, Glenn, and the Dixons. They were well armed and had cars—there was safety in numbers. But she decided she would wait to confer with Daryl and Glenn before she said anything.

"So, who are we gonna meet?" T-Dog asked her.

"Glenn. Merle and Daryl Dixon," Alice replied, "Merle and Daryl hunt. And they are _really_ good with weapons." She figured she might as well start hyping the two brothers up. She wasn't planning on staying at the campsite without them, so it would be ideal if Shane and T-Dog didn't discount the brothers because of their rough exteriors.

"Well, we are very grateful for what you did for Sophia and Carl," Shane said. Alice smiled and directed Shane where to drive. When Shane stopped the car, the sun had already set and the only source of light was the car's headlights and a small fire near Merle's truck. She saw Merle by the fire, sitting near what seemed like a deer's carcass. _Score_ , Alice thought. That was surely going to earn him brownie points from Shane.

"Uh, I should go talk to Merle first," Alice stuttered out when she saw Merle grab his shotgun from the ground and begin to meander his way over the car, waving his free arm wildly in greeting.

She saw T-Dog and Shane exchange a worried glance as she got out of the car.

"Merle!" she called quietly, "it's Alice. I ran into another group. They invited us to stay with them."

"WELCOME BACK!" She heard Merle holler.

"Jesus, Merle be quiet! Where are Daryl and Glenn?" she shushed him, quickly walking up to him. Alice's heart sank when she realized that Merle was high. Even in the dark, she could see his dilated pupils. He was sweating and breathing heavily. "You're high Merle? What the _hell_?!" Alice hissed. She reached for his arm to feel his pulse, but he batted her hand away.

"Aw, don't be like that, Doc." Merle cackled.

"Everything alright there?" she heard Shane call from the car.

"FINE! Merle is telling me about the deer he bagged! He's really excited!" Alice called back. She blanched, realizing how high pitched her voice turned when she became nervous.

She whipped her head back to Merle and repeated, "Where are Daryl and Glenn?"

"Lookin' for your sorry ass!" Merle replied. "Those idiots decided to go track ya down in the dark. Now, who the fuck's the man with his nigg—

"Merle!" Alice squeaked. "PLEASE! Don't insult them. They have a camp up here and they offered us a spot."

"We ain't a charity," Merle scoffed, "I already took you n' the Chink in."

"There are woman and kids there. And they have a lot of supplies. I think we'll be safer," Alice begged him to see reason.

Merle seemed to consider what she was telling him. "They really got supplies? And woman?" he finally asked her, eyes squinted in suspicion. Alice realized he looked like Daryl when he did that.

"Pardon?" Alice blinked at him, confused at his change in behavior, "sure…but I'm going to need you to pull yourself together."

"Well, alright then!" Merle exclaimed and began to strut towards the car.

" _Wait_ , Merle!" she hissed, grabbing the back of his vest, attempting to haul him back to her, "you bagged a deer, right?" Alice asked him, gesturing at the dead animal near the fire. "The uh, woman, would probably appreciate the food you caught. But you're going to have to be on your best behavior…just until they agree to let us stay," Alice coaxed him, hoping he would get the hint not to call T-Dog or any of the others any derogatory names.

Merle eyed her with a suspicious glare and then sent her a toothy grin, "Darlin', I'll be a fuckin' boy scout if it means I'll score me some tail."

Alice stayed rooted to the ground, watching in surprise as Merle approached the car and knocked on the window with the butt of his riffle.

"Welcome to this here fine establishment," Merle sang out as Shane and T-Dog got out of the car, gesturing to their campsite and then thumped each man on the shoulder, a little too enthusiastically.

"You caught that deer?" Shane asked him, eying the gutted animal with interest.

"Caught the bitch 'bout half a mile west," Merle told Shane as he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. He was sweating and his hand was slightly twitching, but thankfully Shane didn't notice that Merle was high. Or if he did, the sight of fresh meat deterred him from making any comments.

"Merle and Daryl set up traps around the area. And Daryl caught a couple of squirrels earlier… Merle offered to share the meat with your group," Alice added.

T-Dog whistled out in appreciation and then glanced around the camp, "so, where are the other two?" he asked

"Trackin' her down with a flashlight. Dumbasses!" Merle grunted as he gestured to her to follow him.

It suddenly dawned on Alice that Glenn and Daryl were probably headed to the other group's campsite if they weren't already there by now. She assumed Daryl had managed to locate her and the kids' tracks…his inevitable arrival to the camp only depended on how quickly he found the footsteps.

Shane seemed to realize the same thing. "We should head back so that the others don't get alarmed," he told her.

Merle and Shane hauled the deer into the back of his truck while Alice and T-Dog quickly disassembled the tents. It took them only a couple of minutes to throw everything in the car before she was clambering into the truck besides Merle. Everything considered, this was good—Merle was accepted into the group and she had complete faith that Daryl and Glenn would arrive at the camp soon (if they weren't already there). Alice decided she would deal with his drug habit another day.

"You think Daryl and Glenn are alright?" she asked Merle hesitantly.

The man snorted in derision, "us Dixons ain't pussies."

She nodded her head, reassured that they were fine—she figured that Daryl and Glenn knew what they were doing.

* * *

"You blind?!" Daryl snarled at Glenn as he felt the young Asian man bump into him.

"Sorry! I can't see a thing," Glenn apologized as he tripped backwards over yet another branch.

It was pitch black in the woods and him and Glenn had yet to find Alice's tracks.

"Son of a bitch!" Daryl cursed when he also almost stumbled over a rock.

When he had walked back to the camp a few hours earlier, Merle was already there—a queasy looking Glenn sitting near him, watching warily as Merle skinned and gutted the deer he had caught. Alice was nowhere in sight.

Immediately, he became alarmed. He wasn't necessarily worried for her yet, after all he had seen her decapitate a man by bashing his skull in, but judging by the way she stumbled alongside him in the woods, she probably also had no idea how to navigate the forest, especially in the dark. So, he chose to assume that she was lost somewhere. Nevertheless, that didn't stop him from striding right back into the woods when he realized she was missing.

After all, it was probably his fault she was lost. She had wandered alongside him as he walked deeper into the woods and he hadn't bothered walking her back, too pissed off at his own behavior around her to pay any attention to the fact that she didn't know her way around the wilderness. He had offered her his hand to help her stand up…he couldn't remember the last time he had done that for someone. And then he had rushed off, not wanting her to think he would walk her back to camp like a prepubescent schoolboy.

He felt almost uneasy around her—he wasn't used to women like Alice paying him any attention. Woman like Alice had a fancy college education, a rich daddy, wore expensive clothes, drove nice cars, and knew exactly how good they looked. He hadn't even graduated high-school and she was a fucking doctor. Woman like her didn't need or care for dirty rednecks like him. Someone like her would have passed him and Merle on the street without a second glance or would maybe have even crossed the street to avoid them. But here she was… complimenting his tracking and hunting knowledge, shooting him smiles, joking around, and teasing him as if she actually liked him.

"This is definitely where you left her?" Glenn asked him, wrenching him from his thoughts.

Daryl didn't dignify his question with a response. Instead, he walked a few meters and crouched down, trying to locate a footprint with his flashlight. Suddenly, in the distance he heard a faint moaning.

"A-Alice?!" Glenn hissed, worry causing his voice to falter.

Daryl waved him away, signaling him to be quiet. He followed the moaning sound, shining his flashlight towards the source of the noise. He found a walker twitching helplessly on the ground.

"She's one _sick_ bastard," Daryl snorted, kicking the walker away. Its face was bashed in and it was immobile, only slightly able to jerk its head towards Daryl and Glenn.

"Phew," Glenn sighed as he took in the site. "It's definitely her. I've been telling her she needs to find a knife or something."

Daryl nodded in agreement as he squatted closer to the ground. Thankfully, he was able to locate her tracks relatively quickly.

"There's smaller track near 'ers" he told Glenn, looking up from the footprints, "probably kids."

"That's a good thing, right?" Glenn asked him, hope lacing his voice.

Daryl shrugged, not knowing what they would find. Mentally, he began to prepare himself for having to accept two new members into their group. Merle would probably veto that proposal though—he would think that the children would only be a burden, and Daryl wouldn't argue with that logic.

Merle had only offered Alice a spot with them because she provided something that neither Daryl or Merle could offer—medical experience.

According to Merle she was also easy on the eyes and if shit really hit the fan, he told Daryl that they could trade her for supplies. He was only half-joking. When Daryl had scowled at the suggestion, Merle had called him a pussy and thumped him on the back, telling him not to let some bitch cloud his judgment.

On the other hand, it did seem that Merle had taken a liking to the young doctor with the impressive bat swing. He had even offered to go into the woods to look for her, but Glenn had insisted on going.

As Daryl and Glenn made their way through the woods, he began to make out a number of different voices. He gestured for Glenn to stay behind, removed his crossbow, and crept towards the noise. He saw a couple of people sitting around a small fire, but he quickly noticed that Alice was not one of them. He snuck closer to the camp and then he heard his brother's familiar voice.

"What the fuck…" he muttered, lowering his crossbow. Even in the dim light, he could see Merle talking to two women. Merle was gesturing at his belt, which had all four of Daryl's squirrels attached to it…squirrels that _he_ , and not Merle, had caught. Both the brunette and the blonde were giving Merle a looked Daryl himself was used to receiving, a mixture of apprehension, distain, and indifference.

"Merle!" Daryl called to him, pushing through the shrubbery to meet his brother. Glenn followed after him, shining the flashlight at the group.

"Oh-ho! Welcome to your new home, baby-brother," Merle called back, swatting away Glenn's flashlight as he walked past him.

"She here?" Daryl asked his brother in an undertone, feeling uncomfortable due to the number of eyes on him.

"Ain't it sweet?" Merle mocked, turning to address the bystanders, "He's worried his school-girl cru—

"Hey, is she here?" Glenn interrupted Merle, glancing desperately around the camp. He looked just as awkward as Daryl felt.

"Yeah, she's here. Don't get your panties in a twist now." Merle finally acknowledged.

Daryl let out a deep breath he didn't know he'd been holding and tried to not let his relief show. "Fuckin' Christ, your high?" he rounded on his brother, realizing the tell-tell signs all too quickly.

Merle cackled at Daryl's question, "Yeah, so what? 'round 'er—

His full response was cut short by a female voice. "Glenn!"

Daryl lifted his eyes from his brother's face to see Alice striding towards Glenn. She gave him a one-armed hug, her other hand still gripping the bat. He heard her explaining to Glenn what had happened, and Daryl was tempted to yell at her for being so stupid. This group seemed alright, but she couldn't have known that at the time. And, by walking into this camp and not letting them know, she had put him and Glenn in danger. _But you didn't have to look for her… Glenn could have gone alone,_ a voice inside his head told him.

"Hi Daryl," she said once she was done greeting Glenn. She didn't lean to hug him, but she smiled slowly, as if in spite of herself and tilted her head slightly upwards to look at him. He only now realized that he had a good three feet on her. "Thanks for finding me," she told him. The curve of her mouth softened her face, somehow making her look even younger… less determined and more at ease. It was slightly disconcerting and left him wondering how she could smile so easily.

She rocked back on her heels, her hands in her back pockets and in an undertone added, "I'm sorry I didn't find you before following the kids back to camp. That was dumb." It felt strange to see her smiling up at him, but it was strange in a good way.

"Should get ya a knife," Daryl muttered, staring at her feet, "S' quicker. More efficient."

"Pardon?" Alice asked him, obviously not understanding what he was referring to.

"We found the walker you killed," Glenn explained for him.

"Bat gets the job done, and besides I used to play softball in high-school. I was _very_ good," Alice told them, "now, let's introduce you to everyone."

"It sure will be nice to have more men to guard the campsite," a black man by the name of T-Dog told him and Glenn. "Um, no offense," he added, looking sheepishly at Alice.

Alice shrugged, "It's fine. My talents lie elsewhere."

Merle let out a sharp whistle, "well, I'd sure like to witness 'em talents."

Immediately, an image of Alice on her knees in front of him, demonstrating some of those talents, popped into his head. He shook the thought away and was temporarily distracted by her laugh. Her cheeks flushed red as she chuckled, "Alright, Merle. If you ever want to witness me perform brain surgery, I'll call you over, because that is the only one of my "talents" that I will show _you_ ," she told him, gently bumping Merle with her shoulder as she walked passed him. Merle scoffed and was about to say something else but she just continued the introductions, oblivious to the numerous male eyes that were now trained on her, his included.

* * *

"Maybe I should check on Merle," Alice leaned over to whisper in his ear as she sat down next to him. The proximity startled Daryl and he jumped slightly when he felt her breath on his ear.

He had found a spot next to the fire that was slightly isolated from the rest of the group, allowing him to avoid unwanted attention. Alice and Glenn had been talking animatedly for the past half-hour with the rest of the group, obviously excited to have other people to talk to.

Now, he found himself sitting by Alice, her knee occasionally knocking into his.

Daryl recovered quickly and he leaned away before he scoffed, "this ain't Merle's first rodeo."

"I just don't want him to choke on his own vomit. Is he sleeping on his back? Or his stomach?" Alice asked to him.

He shrugged, not particularly concerned with Merle. "His drunken ass ain't gonna be taken out by his own vomit."

"I'll still check up on him after dinner. Maybe bring him some food…he's the one who actually caught the deer," Alice told him, gesturing at her plate.

He was about to snap at her, telling her he didn't want her to check on Merle when Alice spoke again.

"We should get bikes," Alice told him looking up from her plate to stare at him, "what do you think about getting bikes?"

He was getting used to her random outburst of ideas and conversation starters but he gave her a blank stare, so she quickly explained, "I know you have Merle's motorcycle, but it's probably loud…Cars are going to start being less and less reliable since there's the issue of finding gas. So, I'm thinking that bikes might be a good option. I'm not suggesting we bike to the CDC…but…it might be a nice option to have."

He nodded slowly, surprised that no one else seemed to have thought about using bikes as transportation. "S' a good idea," he acknowledged.

She nodded and then suddenly cleared her throat, turning her head to look directly at him, "that is if you still want to go together to the CDC."

He turned his head sharply to look at her through squinted eyes, trying to figure out what she was getting at. When he didn't answer, she blushed slightly and continued, lowering her voice to a whisper, "I just don't know what you and Merle are going to do now that we found this camp. I'm not staying here. I _need_ to go to the CDC…because of my sister. And I think if there's research going on there, I can help."

He was about to speak when she interrupted him, talking at a very fast pace now. "I've spoken to Glenn and he thinks we should invite the others along. Form one big group, that sort of deal. I know it's too early to tell, but it might be a good idea…but I wanted to speak to you first...I mean, they might say no and then you would have the option to stay here with them…without Glenn and I." She trailed off, now looking everywhere but at him.

He gave a noncommittal grunt. He was used to following Merle around. He'd go where his brother would go. Daryl wondered with a bit of hope if Merle would consider continuing following Alice to the CDC despite the fact that they had found this new camp.

When he didn't reply, she fidgeted slightly, "I guess what I'm saying is that I, uh, Glenn and I, would _want_ you to go with us. Merle too."

"Alice, my college roommate went to Johns Hopkins for medical school. Maybe you knew her? She graduated around a few years back. Does Becky Ruben ring a bell?" Andrea asked suddenly.

Alice sat back down and Daryl felt relieved he wouldn't have to say anything back. "I don't think so. Sorry." Alice told her, "I was an MD-PhD student so I didn't really get to know the graduating MD class that well."

"You have a PhD? In what?" Dale asked her.

"I wrote my thesis on neoclassical architecture in the Philippines," Alice said seriously, taking a bite out of her food. Judging by the disappointed, shocked expressions around him, the others weren't sure if she was serious. Daryl shook his head at her. "You gotta be shittin' me," he muttered.

"Wow, tough crowd today," Alice announced awkwardly, shooting Glenn a helpless look. "I earned a PhD in Immunology," Alice clarified, "just don't ask me to talk about my research projects, I'll never be able to shut up," she added, grinning.

Shane let out a sharp whistle, "so you're a scientist too? And a doctor?"

"Yup! I was in a funded program where I got paid to conduct research and I earned a medical degree while I was at it. It took an average of eight years to complete though." Alice told him as she swallowed a piece of meat, "I probably prefer biomedical research to actual clinical medicine. I just finished my first year of my neurosurgery residency, but I always wanted to have my own lab and conduct research relating to immunology…that was the plan in the long run."

"From your professional standpoint, what do you think these walkers are?" Shane asked her, "they were saying over the news that it might be a virus."

The individual conversations around Daryl died down immediately as everyone turned to Alice. Suddenly, it seemed like a flip was switched on inside of her. She sat up straighter, cleared her throat and began to speak, as if she were lecturing to a group of students, all previous humor gone from her face.

"In medical school, I was taught to be honest and told not to offer false hope, so that's what I'm going to do. I can honestly tell you that I don't know what is causing this epidemic. It could be any sort of pathogen—a virus, a parasite, bacteria, etcetera."

At her words, everyone's excitement dwindled…as if she had single handedly extinguished their hope.

"Any sorta virus or bacteria? You can't even try n' narrow it down?" Ed asked sarcastically.

Daryl scowled at Ed. The mere sound of his voice caused Daryl's lip to curl up in a slight snarl.

Alice probably sensed this shift in the mood of the group because she ignored Ed's comment and continued, her tone remaining respectful and professional. "I'm one person who hasn't been able to fully evaluate the situation. There are people working to understand what is going on, I am sure."

She paused before continuing, her voice slightly faltering. "I knew someone who was an expert in infectious diseases and he wasn't sure either. He had a couple of ideas, but nothing concrete. At the CDC—

She stopped talking suddenly, obviously unsure if she should say anything about her ties to the CDC. Before he could stop himself, he spoke up, breaking the silence.

"We're headin' to the CDC," he muttered, not believing his own words and suddenly hoping that no one had heard him.

 _Oh-ho, baby-brother… Doc has got you by the balls,_ he heard Merle's voice in his head. He didn't look at Alice, aware of her eyes on him. He took a large bite of the meat and began to chew it thoroughly, preventing him from saying anything else

"Maybe you want to go with us," he heard Glenn say, addressing the group.

"You don't have to decide now," Alice spoke up, "but it's an option."

Shane was the first to speak, "thank you for the offer. We will consider it."

Alice happily nodded at Shane. The individual conversations around the campfire resumed and Alice then peered at Daryl curiously.

"I'm glad _we're_ going to the CDC together," she told him, a large grin creeping onto her face. There was a certain coyness to her words and he realized that she was teasing him. Daryl found that her attention was slightly disconcerting, but he grunted in affirmation, turning his head slightly to nod at her. _Merle'd beat my ass and call me a soft pussy for lettin' her decide what we do,_ thought Daryl. For once, he was glad his brother wasn't sitting by his side. But, it was a real possibility that the CDC could provide safety and answers. Besides... he owed her. She helped stitch him up and found him and Merle this camp, Daryl reasoned

* * *

"Daryl? You got any plans for tomorrow? I want to go somewhere," Alice asked as he stood up, ready to walk back to his tent.

"Somewhere?" Daryl asked, suspicion in his narrow-eyed gaze as he stopped in front of his tent.

"The zoo," she told him, "I want to go to the zoo."

"S' a joke to you?" Daryl scowled, suddenly fed up with the casual way she approached everything. He stopped walking and turned abruptly to face her, "this all a game? Another joke? Ya wanna see how much the world's fucked up so ya can laugh 'bout it? This ain't a fuckin' tourist attraction."

Her face flushed red and she scowled back at him, "I know that. I had to kill my own…" she didn't finish her sentence, pausing suddenly before continuing.

"I _killed_ a m-man. I would do _anything_ to find my sister. This is not a joke to me," she snapped. Her brown eyes were blazing with fury. Daryl was temporarily distracted by the eyes that were glaring at him. They were as brown as the whiskey him and Merle had been so fond of drinking.

He felt a twinge of guilt, realizing that Alice was not naïve. She was not taking the situation lightly. Before he could say anything…or even try to apologize, she continued.

"Ed's comment about not being able to narrow down what was infecting us got me thinking. I wanted to see if non-human primates can be infected…if they turn into walkers. There's some viruses that can kill humans but will only slightly affect monkeys. There's this virus—herpes B—that will kill a large percentage of humans if they become infected…but the virus won't kill the monkeys. I thought going to the zoo would clue us into what is occurring…we were planning on staying in the area for a little while anyways before we head to the CDC," she told him in one breath, her voice harsh. "So that's why I want to go to the zoo. And screw you, Daryl!" she finally finished.

He felt a pang of shame as he observed her. She was breathing heavily, her chest rising and falling rapidly. She looked like she wanted to say something else, but she didn't. Instead, she moved past him towards the entrance of his tent.

"Where ya going?" he barked. He stopped her from entering by wrapping his hand firmly around her upper arm.

"I'm going to check up on your brother," she told him, trying to twist her arm out of his grip. Her first instinct was to bring her arm to her side, but he didn't release his grip, causing the back of his fingers to brush against the side of her breast. He immediately released her, taking several steps backwards away from her. His fingers felt like they had been branded.

"I'll take ya to the fuckin' zoo if ya think s' gonna help sort this out," he told her, looking down at her feet, refusing to meet her eyes and inadvertently flexing the hand that had touched her.

He didn't apologize though, but she seemed to accept his peace offering because when he looked up, she was nodding her head slightly.

"But I thought ya said I was meant to rest my leg," Daryl added, knowing how petulant he sounded, "I got shot."

"If I recall, you were the one who said _I ain't a bitch_ ," Alice told him, but there was no anger, no mockery behind her words, "but we can wait before we go."

Daryl scoffed, but lifted the tent flap open for her, allowing her to pass so that she could look at Merle.

"I'll take ya soon," he added before she entered the tent.

"You better," she grumbled, purposefully giving him a hip to hip bump as she walked past him.

* * *

I am so excited that you guys are liking Alice and the story! Thank you!

I am thinking of changing the rating to M as the story progresses, so please let me know if you are for/against this. Also, is there any preference for a slow or fast beginning to the romance? What did you think about Daryl's POV? Let me know :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Characters are from TWD. I am just writing for fun :)**

* * *

 **My Mistakes Were Made for You**

* * *

"It's hotter than a spanked baby's ass out here!" Merle exclaimed as he emerged from his tent, taking a seat next to her. Daryl trailed behind his brother, yawning.

Alice looked up at the two brothers through groggy eyes, but she managed to mutter "mornin'" as she waved hello.

She had spent the majority of the night on watch with Amy. She was feeling exhausted. Her nightmares kept her up at night…she would dream of her parents or Derrick. She continuously replayed the incident leading up to her parents' deaths. The dreams were so vivid, it was as if she were there all over again. Every day she would wake up thinking she would find Derrick by her side. But, instead she woke to Glenn's snoring, which she thankfully found comforting instead of annoying.

They had been at the campsite for a little over a week now and she was getting used to the routine they had going. She was itching to continue the journey up to the CDC. She wanted more than anything else in the world to find Nancy. But there was still the issue of transportation and supplies. According to both Dale and Jim, Glenn's car would need serious work, meaning they would have to find a new mode of transportation. The RV and Daryl's truck were also low on gas and for the whole group to make it to the CDC, they needed to stock up on food, water, and gas.

"Shane s' sendin' a group to go to Atlanta today," Daryl told her as he sat down next to his brother.

"It's dangerous there. There's plenty of cars and they probably still have gas. I guess we could stock up on food there…but I don't think it's worth the risk." she said, handing him and Merle a packet of cereal.

Both brothers just grunted in way of thanks.

"When did you all decide?" she asked.

"Yesterday. Ya and Amy were on watch." Daryl answered.

"Need somthin'?" Merle asked her in between mouthfuls.

"You're planning on going?" Alice asked, suddenly on edge.

"Worried 'bout me?" Merle asked, leering at her.

"Who else is going? Are you?" she questioned Daryl, ignoring Merle.

"Nah. Gonna watch the camp n' hunt," Daryl answered.

"Chinaman volunteered," Merle added.

"God dammit, Glenn," Alice swore, "Is that why he didn't stay on watch with me and sent Amy instead?"

When Daryl shrugged, Alice frowned. "No. No he's not going," she insisted, standing up to go find Glenn.

"You ain't his mamma!" Merle cackled after her.

She found Glenn talking to T-Dog near the RV. "Hey!" she called, "I just heard there's going to be a trip up to Atlanta," she said, looking pointedly at Glenn who at least had the decency to look down at his sneakers in shame.

T-Dog looked between her and Glenn before muttering, "I'm gonna let you two sort this out."

"We need supplies," Glenn told her.

"And Atlanta is the best place to get them?!" she hissed, addressing Glenn, choosing to ignore T-Dog's departure. "It's too dangerous."

"I've done it before," Glenn assured her.

"Your ankle—

"Is completely fine now," Glenn finished.

"I don't understand why _you_ have to go," Alice told him.

"I know Atlanta better than anyone else. I won't be going alone—

"Yeah, you won't. I'm going with you," Alice interrupted him.

Glenn shook his head vehemently, "We already have too many people. Shane already picked the volunteers—T-Dog, Morales, me, Merle, Andrea, and Jacqui. I'm going to be safe."

Hearing the names did not calm her down. If anything, it made her worry more. She liked Andrea and Jacqui because she felt they had backbones and could fight if push came to shove, but she didn't trust them enough to take care of Glenn. She didn't trust anyone but herself.

"Glenn, please let me go with you," Alice begged, hearing desperation creep into her own voice.

Glenn's response was cut off by T-Dog who called over to him, "Yo, Glenn! Get your stuff, we're headin' out soon."

"Sorry, Doc," Glenn said, "but the sooner we get the supplies, the sooner we can leave."

"Glenn, just…you'll be alright, yeah? If _anything_ happened to you… I don't think I could bear it…" Alice trailed off, realizing how much she depended on Glenn… for friendship, for comfort… _everything_.

Glenn squeezed her shoulder and she managed a weak smile for him, "I'll be fine." She watched him walk away, trying to calm her breathing. She felt hurt and a little betrayed that he didn't discuss his departure with her first, but most of all she felt scared. She couldn't lose Glenn.

"Ain't cha worried for me?" She heard Merle ask behind her.

Truthfully, she wasn't. Merle seemed like the type that could handle anything singlehandedly.

"You'll be fine, Merle," she told him, "I'm going to go talk to Shane. I want to go too."

"Ya know," Merle bent down to her eyelevel so he wasn't towering over her and whispered in a conspiratorial tone, "Chink n' Darylina threw a hissy fit when your name was brought up to go. So nah, you ain't gonna go."

Alice blinked in surprise at this declaration. She knew that Glenn wouldn't want her in Atlanta after the debacle that had been their last trip to the city… but Daryl? He knew that she could handle herself. She felt a spark of anger at him for trying to dictate what she could or could not do. She'd been washing people's laundry for the past week, which she found slightly degrading. She dedicated the majority of her life to science and here she was, reduced to a glorified laundry woman who wasn't even asked if she wanted to volunteer for the trip to Atlanta.

"I'm just saying, if it were just me, I wouldn't go, but I have to look after Glenn," she told him.

At that moment, Glenn returned from speaking to T-Dog, Daryl trailing behind the two men. "You ready?" he asked Merle, "T-Dog is going to drive."

"I ain't lettin' that negro drive," Merle muttered under his breath to his brother.

"I'll go instead of Andrea," she told Merle confidently.

Merle shrugged, "ya can try, but we got no spots for you. Can ya even shoot?"

"No," she replied, "but Andrea probably can't either. I'm willing to learn and I think—

"Ya ain't going. Yer gonna put them all in danger if ya can't shoot properly," Daryl cut her off.

Alice's breath caught in her throat, realizing that Glenn was actually leaving. He was standing close to her, looking at her with a concerned expression. "I'll be okay," he assured her again, "I'll even look for a car for us," he promised.

"I've always wanted a Ferrari," Alice joked weakly.

"You got it, Doc," Glenn laughed, "I'll bring you back a pimped-out sports car."

Alice managed another weak chuckle before Glenn moved to hug her. She swallowed the lump in her throat, and hugged him back, holding onto him like a lifeline. When she let go Glenn saluted her and walked over to talk to T-Dog and Morales. Then she turned to Merle who was talking to Daryl in a hushed tone.

"Anything that _can_ go wrong, _will_ go wrong, so plan accordingly. Be careful, Merle…And please, look after Glenn, alright?" Alice told Merle as she approached the two brothers.

Merle ignored her plea and looked around the camp which was now hurrying to prepare everyone for departure. Glenn was busy helping T-Dog and Morales sort through the gun supply that Shane had provided, Lori was talking to Shane in a hushed voice, and Amy and Andrea looked like they were saying goodbye.

"This camp s' busier than a cucumber in a women's prison!" Merle suddenly exclaimed loudly, earning a disgusted scoff from Andrea and a stern look from Lori.

"Don't look at me like that, dolls," Merle cackled, "there ain't nothin' hotter than a woman pleasurin' 'erself," he elbowed his brother before turning to address her, "I'd pay good money t' see ya do that."

Alice rolled her eyes and turned to Daryl who for some reason was busy avoiding meeting her eyes, "can you please tell him to look after Glenn?"

"He'll be fine," Daryl told her, essentially dismissing her.

Alice turned away, feeling a wave of anxiety pass over her as she stared at Glenn who was now getting into the truck.

She scowled when she saw Ed standing near Sophia and Carol, his hand on his wife's shoulder, preventing her from saying goodbye to the departing volunteers.

"She's so skinny, she looks like a gut with the shit slung out of it," Merle suddenly commented, gesturing towards Carol.

She gave him an incredulous look. "Where do you come up with these things to say?" she asked him. Daryl frowned when he saw Carol and Ed, but Merle shrugged before turning away from her and Daryl. He didn't say goodbye to his brother. He just winked at her, shouldered his shotgun and strode towards the truck without a second glance.

 _I wish Ed would go_ _instead_ _of Glenn,_ she thought as she waved goodbye.

She didn't follow Daryl who stalked to his tent, tension in his shoulders. He was probably worried about Merle. She watched as the rest of the group dispersed, but stayed put, not knowing exactly what to do now.

"You want to help with laundry?" Lori asked her when she noticed that Alice was standing alone, staring at the place where the truck had been a moment ago.

Alice mentally groaned, but she smiled at Lori, "Sure. Of course. Let me just grab my stuff and I'll ask Daryl if he needs anything washed."

She had only walked a couple of paces before Dale caught up with her. "Hey, Alice. Do you have any Advil?" Dale asked her, "I think Jim has a slight fever. Maybe you could take a look at him?"

Alice smiled kindly at Dale, "Sure. Anything beats laundry duty. He's in his tent?"

"He's by the RV. Thank you, Dr. Alice."

"Not a problem. I'm going to grab my bag," Alice told him smirking at his title for her, before heading to Daryl's tent. He was sitting outside of it, sharpening an arrow.

"Want me to clean anything? I'm on laundry duty," she told him.

He looked up at her in surprise, "Yer doin' laundry?"

"Why do you sound so shocked? Who do you think has been washing your boxers for the past week?" She asked, cocking her head to one side so she could see him better, "I haven't been sitting around the river doing nothing you know."

"I've been givin' m' stuff to Glenn," he muttered, frowning and rubbing the back of his neck, looking slightly embarrassed and even a little apologetic.

"And Glenn has been generously handing it over to me," she said, "so you want anything washed? I haven't shrunk anything yet, I promise."

Daryl wiped the sweat forming on his forehead away, looked down at his worn-out boots before meeting her eyes and shook his head, "nah…thanks."

"Ain't a problem," Alice said, imitating his Southern drawl. Her tent was right near Daryl's, so she quickly stepped inside to collect her bag. She shifted through the medicine bag. She had a stash of medication—she had two types of antibiotics, a bottle of painkillers, Benadryl, Pepto-Bismol, a large first aid kit, Advil, several EpiPens, a bag of cough drops, her father's cholesterol medication, and her mother's eye-drops. She felt like a walking pharmacy, but she was glad that she had the foresight to grab every single bottle of medication she had in her home and in every single pharmacy her and Glenn had scavenged. She just grabbed the bag before heading back out to Daryl.

"I'm going to go check on Jim," she told Daryl, "and then I'm doing laundry. Are you going to go hunt?" now that Glenn was gone, she felt the need to share with him her plans and find out what _he_ planned to do.

"Yeah," he answered, "S' wrong with Jim?"

"Probably just overheated. Or dehydrated. As Merle eloquently put it, it's hotter than a spanked baby's ass out here. Be safe, okay?"

Daryl smirked at her comment but nodded his head, "Ain't I always?"

Alice shrugged. "I don't want a wild boar attacking you or something like that," she turned to leave, walked only a couple of paces before she turned back to Daryl.

"You think you can teach me how to shoot?" she asked, "I want to be useful and I think I need to learn to shoot a gun."

"Yer accident prone," Daryl grumbled, "I don't want ya 'round a gun."

"Daryl, come on, you know I'm not. Please?" she begged.

He glared at her before sighing. "Fine. But my list of favors I have to do for you s' growin'…Takin' ya to the zoo, teachin' ya to shoot, what next?"

"Well washing _my_ laundry might be the next favor," she teased.

Daryl snorted, "Careful. Because on second thought, I think I do have some of Merle's underwear n' socks that might need washin'"

"You're the best, Daryl! I'll see you soon," Alice told him with a grin, enjoying the fact that despite his rough manner of speaking, he was actually teasing her.

She found Jim sitting underneath the RV's awning, his face in his hands. Dale was on top of the RV, keeping guard.

"Alright, Jim. What seems to be the problem?" Alice asked him as she removed her stethoscope from her bag.

"I'm fine. Dale shouldn't have bothered you," Jim told her, but allowed her to listen to his heartbeat.

"Jim, believe me when I tell you that you're doing me a favor here. It's either play doctor or do laundry. Now, take a couple of deep breaths for me."

"My wife always hated doing laundry," he told her, closing his eyes as he began to take the deep breaths.

"She's sounds like a smart woman," Alice replied, gently lifting his wrist so she could measure his pulse.

"She was," Jim moaned suddenly, "I lost her. Her and my children"

"I'm so sorry, Jim," Alice whispered, realizing that she was thankful she had outlived her parents. She knew it would have broken their hearts if she had been the one who died. Her parents loved her unconditionally and she loved them more than she thought was humanly possible. She felt their absence every single day.

She placed a hand to Jim's forehead. He was burning up.

"You do have a slight fever, but I think that's due to dehydration. Make sure you drink enough fluids. I saw a bottle of Gatorade in the RV, I'm sure Dale won't mind. I'll go get it for you. I'm going to give you an Advil just in case."

Alice gave his arm a squeeze before she stood up to get him his drink.

When she returned, she handed him the pill and the bottle of Gatorade. Jim leaned back in his chair, eyes still closed. "Thank you. You remind me of her. She was so kind." His voice cracked.

In medical school and in her residency program, Alice had noticed that there was something rehearsed and robotic about the way doctors dealt with loss in the hospital. She herself had also become accustomed to the deaths around her, but today, with Glenn's departure she felt her defense mechanisms cracking.

She placed her hand on his shoulder, trying to keep her voice steady, "when I was fourteen, my grandmother died and I cried for weeks. I asked my mother when the pain would stop and she told me that I would never really stop missing her. The pain would always be there, but I had to learn to live with it."

"Did you learn?" Jim choked out.

"I'm still learning," Alice whispered.

Jim let out another sob and Alice stood up, unable to bear the look of absolute sorrow on his face.

"Go into the RV—I'll bring back a cold towel for you when I'm finished with laundry duty," she told him gently, helping him up and ushering him into the RV.

She didn't go straight back to her tent. She slouched against a tree near the RV, suddenly feeling overwhelmed. The truth was she couldn't bear to think about her parents or Derrick. The memories resurfaced wounds that Alice didn't think even time could heal. She tried blocking any thoughts of their death away, but in moments like these when there were no distractions around her, Alice found no way of stopping the thoughts from clouding her head.

She steadied her breath and squeezed her eyes shut. _Chin up, Alice,_ she heard her sister's voice in her head. Alice considered staying here and struggling with her thoughts, but she bit the inside of her lip instead and stood up, intent on not wallowing in her own misery.

Alice walked briskly towards her tent to drop off her bag and collect hers and Glenn's laundry. She tried to clear her head, willing her mind to find something to occupy itself with.

She walked past Daryl on her way to the tent. He nodded his head at her, watching her intently.

"You alright?" he asked, eyeing her carefully.

She offered him a smile, appreciating the concern that the usually withdrawn, reserved man showed her. "I'm good. I'll see you when you get back."

She gathered her things and began to make her way towards the river. She paused when she was about to enter the woods and looked back at him. He was shielding his eyes from the sun as he watched her walk away. She waved goodbye at him, adjusted her pile of dirty clothes and trudged off to meet Lori, Amy, and Carol.

"Alice!" Amy cried happily, waving her over when she saw her approaching them. Alice smiled and waved back, feeling a little better at seeing her friend. She liked Amy—she was cheerful, optimistic and her mindless chitchat kept her thoughts from straying towards depressing memories. She grimaced when she saw Ed in the distance, watching her as she approached Carol and Lori.

"Here, I saved you some soap," Carol told her, handing her a small packet.

"Thanks, Carol!" Alice replied, dumping her clothes into the water before reaching for the soap, "I don't have a lot of stuff to clean so I can help you with your laundry."

"Stay close to Shane," Lori called to her son when she saw him and Shane walking down to the water with buckets and a net.

"We're catchin' frogs!" Carl yelled back, waving at his mother happily.

Alice grinned at his enthusiasm, enjoying herself despite the fact that Glenn wasn't here.

"I do miss my Maytag," Carol commented as she continued scrubbing her clothes.

"Oh, I would give anything for _actually_ clean, fresh clothes." Alice sighed.

"That would be nice," Amy mused, "but… I miss texting the most."

Alice laughed, "we should _not_ go down that rabbit hole."

"Oh, maybe we should go down the rabbit hole," Amy challenged, "you might find Wonderland, Alice."

"I've heard enough Alice in Wonderland jokes to last me a lifetime, Amy," Alice told her, rolling her eyes.

"Well I miss my computer and the internet," Amy continued, splashing Alice with water.

"I miss shaving," Lori added, "and pretty much any other small creature comfort you can name."

"Amen! My legs are harrier than an orangutan's!" Amy exclaimed.

All three women burst out laughing, giggling as they rolled up their pants to compare their legs. "You don't have any hair, what the hell?!" Amy exclaimed when she ran her hand over Alice's leg.

"Many sessions of laser hair removal and electrolysis," Alice explained, "if you are an orangutan, I'm a hairless, naked mole-rat."

"Ugh, I'm jealous. Not that any of that really matters…" Amy trailed off, her face suddenly falling, "Andrea did that too, but I was too much of a wimp. It hurt too badly."

"I miss bright, overly powerful fluorescent lighting," Alice quickly said, wanting to distract Amy from worrying about Andrea.

"You _would_ say that," Amy scoffed, gently shoving her, "that's such a doctor thing to say. Pick something else."

"Fine. I miss coffee…Starbucks coffee!" Alice giggled, shoving Amy back.

"Ohhhh coffee… I miss that," Carol sighed.

"Glenn misses candy. And _not_ the good kind…!" Alice whispered to the women in a conspiratorial undertone, "he misses licorice!"

"Oh, Glenn…why?" Lori laughed and Alice giggled too, not feeling the least bit guilty for throwing Glenn under the bus.

"Andrea misses her vibrator! She told me!" Amy declared, cackling gleefully at having ratted out her sister's secret.

"Amy!" Lori chastised, but she couldn't fight off her smile.

"Me too…." Carol suddenly added, giggling. She turned to look at Ed before turning back to them, satisfied that he hadn't heard her.

"Carol!" Lori and Amy exclaimed at exactly the same moment.

"Don't let Merle ever hear you say that," Alice grinned, remembering Merle's comment from earlier in the day.

"Oh my god, no!" Amy grimaced, "why do you even hang around them?"

Alice shook her head at Amy, "no, Merle is not that bad." When the three women gave her disbelieving looks she continued, " _honestly._ Him and Daryl really helped me and Glenn out."

"Glenn told us about what happened. It's awful there's people like those monsters out there," Lori sighed, "what has the world come to?"

"I'm glad Merle and Daryl were there to help you," Carol told her, gently patting her hand, "you were lucky they were there."

"Oh sure, but he's still a total pervert," Amy interjected, lightening the mood. "Daryl seems…uh… _fine_ though," she added as an afterthought.

"Yes well, apparently, sometimes your knight in shining armor is just a redneck with a crossbow on his shoulder and a knife strapped to his waist," Alice told them, chuckling at the thought of Daryl wearing a medieval costume, "I guess I couldn't be too picky."

"I had no idea you and Daryl were like _that_ ," Amy confessed, looking slightly scandalized.

"I think it's sweet," Carol added.

Alice suddenly realized what was happening. "Oh, no! We _aren't_ like that!" Alice hurried to explain. It almost seemed preposterous to her that her and Daryl would be romantically involved. Even at the mention of being with someone caused her heart to clench…she had met Derrick when she was eighteen—after a month, she knew that she didn't want anyone but him.

"I totally knew that," Amy scoffed. "I bet you the majority of guys you dated were rich bankers, doctors, or lawyers. Probably like Andrea—you know, she once introduced me to this total tool—

"Amy, let's not think about the past," Lori interrupted Amy when she saw Alice's face fall.

"Sorry, Alice. I wasn't thinking," Amy apologized, looking guiltily up at her.

"It's fine, Amy," Alice said, now unable to think of anything else but Derrick. "I actually only ever dated one guy. I met him in college as a freshman and he was already in graduate school. At the time, he was dating this girl that he had been with for four years. I didn't look at anyone twice after I met him, but it took him over five years to even realize that I wasn't the young nerd he had to supervise. He's the reason I even considered getting a PhD and he's the reason I stayed at Hopkins. I mean he's—

Alice stopped talking, realizing that if she continued she would start bawling. "I guess you could say that I miss him," Alice finished.

There was complete silence. Alice was staring at her hands, willing them to stop shaking.

"So, I bet you lost your virginity super late, huh?" Amy asked. Carol let out a nervous giggle, breaking the awkward silence.

Alice stared up at Amy in shock and then let out a hysterical laugh, which almost sounded like a sob. "You're right. I was twenty-five!"

"Somethin' funny?" Ed interrupted. Alice turned to see that he had wandered over to them. She exchanged a look with Amy who was also clearly annoyed at his presence.

"Just swappin' stories, Ed," Lori told him without looking up from her laundry. Ed didn't leave. Instead, he lit a cigarette and made himself comfortable on a nearby rock.

"Something wrong?" Alice asked him, not liking the way he was looking at them.

"Nothin' that concerns you," Ed told her smirking down at her.

"And you ought to focus on your work," he added, "this ain't no comedy club."

Alice was tempted to tell him to shove off, but she noticed Carol's hunched figure and decided against it. They sat in silence for a minute, before Ed chose to make another comment.

"Careful with that shirt," he told Alice, "s' mine."

Alice looked down at the shirt, realizing that she was indeed scrubbing one of his shirts.

"If you don't like how I do your laundry, you can do it yourself." She scowled, stood up and extended his shirt out to him.

He took it and then flung it at her. "Ain't my job."

Alice stared down at her now soaking wet shirt in shock.

"Better close that mouth before someone puts a dick in it," Ed told her, puffing a cloud of smoke into her face.

"Excuse me?" she asked not believing he had the audacity to tell her that. She took a step away from Ed, wishing that she had Daryl or at least her baseball bat at her side.

"Alice, don't…" Carol implored, but she didn't move from her spot near the water.

"I don't need some cunt tellin' me what I should be doin'," Ed growled deep in his throat, flicking his cigarette-end onto the ground.

"Come on. Let's go," he ordered Carol.

"I think Carol should stay," Amy told Ed, crossing her arms over her chest, looking at Alice for assurance that she was doing the right thing.

"It ain't none of your business," Ed replied before turning his attention to Carol. "Come on now. You heard me."

"Carol," Alice begged the older woman not to leave with Ed.

"Alice, please. It doesn't matter…" Carol said, looking imploringly up at her.

"Hey!" Ed exclaimed, taking a step closer to Alice, "don't think I won't knock you on your uptight ass just 'cause your some Harvard-educated bitch. Got it?"

Alice and Amy both gasped in shock. Lori stood up, looking desperately around for help.

"Johns Hopkins, asshole." Alice muttered under her breath. She moved to stand in front of Ed.

"Your gonna come now or you'll regret it later," Ed warned his wife, pushing roughly past Alice.

"Don't take another step, Ed!" Alice warned him.

"Ain't none of y'all's business!" Ed screamed, reaching towards Carol. Alice slapped his hand away. With an angry roar, jerked away from her and then he slapped Carol's face so hard the impact raised an echo.

"SHANE!" Lori screamed, moving away from Ed's assault.

"Get off of her!" Alice yelled, trying to grab one of his meaty arms. Ed swung at her, the back of his hand making contact with her jaw. Alice recoiled, more in shock than in pain. She saw Ed raise his arm again to hit Carol, but the next thing that Alice saw was Shane, dragging Ed away from her. Shane flung Ed to the ground and pulled his fist back—it connected with Ed's face. His head snapped back and blood starting flowing from his nose.

Alice watched from the sand as Shane hit Ed again. Again…and again…and again.

"SHANE! STOP!" Lori cried.

Carol was sobbing, gripping Amy for support, but Alice just watched as Shane continued beating Ed, unable to look away.

"Put your hands on your wife, your little girl, or anybody else in this camp, and I will not stop next time. Do you hear me?" Shane ordered, stopping his assault for a moment.

"Yes," Ed slurred out.

Shane's fist connected with Ed's jaw with a sickening crunch one last time. Shane moved away from Ed, his eyes locking in on Lori before he hung his head in shame.

"Oh God," Carol sobbed. She ran to her husband. She cradled Ed to her, "Ed…I'm sorry!"

Alice sat frozen in the sand, knowing that she should help Ed. He would need more than a couple of stiches. He probably had a concussion too. But, she didn't move, feeling nothing but disgust and contempt for him.

* * *

Daryl adjusted the rabbit he caught on his belt, which already had five squirrels strapped to it. _That should be enough for today_ , Daryl thought smugly. He'd been at the campsite for a week now, and Daryl found himself looking forward to seeing Alice's incredulous grin when she would catch sight of him walking back from the woods with the game he had hunted down for the group. When Merle got back tomorrow, Daryl decided he would follow the deer tracks he saw in the forest earlier today. But, it was already too dark to start the tracking today and he didn't want to leave the camp unattended for too long with just Dale as lookout.

He began to walk back towards the campsite. From a distance, he could see the RV, but the voices were the first thing to reach him. Alice was loudly speaking to someone. Daryl could easily make out the anger in her voice... after all, he had been on the receiving end of it only a few days ago. He sped up, wondering who Alice was shouting at.

When he reached the camp, he saw that she was talking to Dale who was standing near her. From afar, he could see her sitting on the ground, Shane's hands on her knee, her own hands were placed over his. He blinked, his footsteps faltering, suddenly unsure if he wanted to know why the two were sitting so close. There was a sudden pang of something inside of Daryl, but he forced himself to ignore it, concentrating instead on what Alice was telling Dale.

"For the last time, I don't want to…and won't… look at him. Medical supplies are running low everywhere. Someone else might need them," he heard Alice argue. She crossed her hands over her chest momentarily to glare up at Dale.

"You're a _doctor_ , Alice. Have some compassion," Dale urged her.

"The American Medical Association is not watching over my shoulder and I don't feel obligated to uphold those ethical standards anymore. Shane was right to beat the living daylight out of him," Alice snapped, before turning her head back to Shane's hands. "you've seen the way he treats Carol and Sophia. If I met them in the clinics, I would have called child protective services!"

"But you still would have treated him," Dale interjected.

"Yes, well, times are changing. I say let him suffer," Alice scoffed, "he's not going to die."

When he walked closer, he felt his blood boil. He could clearly see that Alice's lip was split. Someone had _hit_ her. For a second his anger was replaced with something akin to relief when he understood that Alice was just cleaning Shane's bloody knuckles. But that relief was short lived.

"What the fuck happened?" he barked at Shane as he stormed towards him to reach Alice.

"Who hit you?" he growled. When no one answered him, he yanked Alice up and took her face in his hands to look at her lip. She jumped at the contact, her eyes wide.

"Careful." Shane told him. He also stood up, forcing Daryl to drop his hands away from Alice's face. Shane's mouth turned into a snarl as Daryl swiveled to face Shane. He already disliked Shane, and his warning only angered him further.

"No, I'm fine, Daryl. It was Ed. We handled it," Alice explained, placing her arm on his shoulder. He shrugged it off roughly.

"Where's the piece of shit at?" he asked Shane, ignoring the hurt look Alice gave him.

"I've dealt with Ed," Shane told him, Daryl looked down at Shane's bloody hands and then turned to where Carol was hovering nervously around her tent. She was watching him carefully, her eyes tearful and her cheek bright red.

After years of enduring beatings from his dad, Daryl had found it easier to notice and pick up on the little hints and signs of abuse. Those signs in Carol and Sophia were more than little suspicions—it was obvious to anyone that Ed beat his family.

"Shane, don't move. This could get infected. I don't want you touching _anything_ that a walker could have come in contact with. I'll wrap them in bandages," Alice told Shane, reaching for his hands again, but not before giving Daryl a reproachful look.

Daryl turned away from the pair, his hands clenched, acutely aware of the fact that he wasn't there to protect Carol, Sophia… or Alice. He strode towards Ed's tent, intent on finishing whatever Shane had started.

"No. Please, don't hurt him," Carol whimpered, blocking his way.

He turned his heated glare on Carol, "move aside."

"Daryl, stop!" he heard Alice calling him back.

He ignored her and pushed past Carol, only to find himself in front of Sophia who had just exited the tent. When he made to move past her, she reached out to him, as if to stop him. He felt her small hands grab onto his arm, and moving purely out of instinct, he wrenched away from her, his crossbow nearly knocking her over. Sophia stared up at him in fear and she flinched when he straightened the crossbow.

In a moment of clarity, Daryl could see the fear he had felt numerous times in his father's presence reflected back at him through Sophia's eyes. He could hear the sound of his old man's belt whipping through the air, making contact with his back. It was as if he were a kid again, cowering in fright in front of his father in a feeble attempt to protect himself.

He snapped back to reality when he heard a sniffle escape from Sophia. When heard Carol gasp he took several steps away from the young girl, squinting at the ground, refusing to meet anyone's eyes.

Shane growled something incoherent behind him. Daryl didn't need to turn around to know that someone was probably holding him back from attacking him. He couldn't hear what Alice was muttering to Shane.

He looked up to see Shane glaring at him. His hands were crossed over this chest but he wasn't making a move towards him. He turned away from Ed's tent and strode towards away without a second glance back at the group. He didn't meet Alice's eyes, not wanting to see the inevitable fear or disgust that he knew he would see on her face.

* * *

Alice turned away from Shane, wanting to walk after Daryl, but she was immediately approached by Carol.

"Alice! Please! Take a look at Ed," Carol begged, grabbing her arm, preventing her from leaving.

"No," Alice stated simply, "I won't."

"Alice, please," Dale added.

"Jesus, why do you want me to tend to him, Carol?" Alice asked, frustrated at the woman.

Carol didn't reply but she sniffled slightly, nodding her head towards Sophia who was hovering near Ed's tent, looking distraught.

Alice hesitated before she jerked her head in agreement. "Fine. But I'm doing this for you and Sophia. I have a split lip because of that monstrosity you call a husband," she snapped.

Carol let go of her arm, looking at Alice as if she had just kicked a puppy. She didn't allow Carol to say anything else and marched towards Daryl's retreating back, ignoring the reproachful look that Dale sent her.

"Daryl?" she called, trying to catch up to him.

"Mind yer own goddamn business!" he snapped. He strode further into the woods without turning to look at her.

She stopped walking after him, deciding that she would wait for his return near his tent. She didn't understand why Daryl was so tightly wound all of a sudden—it was clearly an accident that he had almost knocked Sophia. Even Shane had understood that. As she walked back to the tent, she also realized that she felt guilty for barking at Carol like that. Her lip would not even need stiches and it didn't hurt too badly. She'd apologize to Carol soon. She knew that victims couldn't always see clearly. She was about to enter Daryl's tent when she heard the sound of footsteps behind her. _Dammit,_ she sighed, not really wanting to deal with anyone right now.

"Hey Alice?" she heard Lori hesitantly address her.

"I already told Carol I'd take a look at the cretin. I never said _when_ I'd do it." Alice muttered, not turning around to look at Lori.

"I'm not here about Ed," Lori said quietly, "I was thinking about what you told us at the lake about your boyfriend…and I just wanted to let you know that if you ever want to talk about…you know…your family… I'm here."

Alice let out a sharp breath and buried her face into her hands, "I don't want to talk about him…ever again. Please, don't mention him...I can't."

Lori walked up to her, placing a hand onto her shoulder. "I lost my husband right before this all happened. He was a cop and he got shot."

"I'm so sorry, Lori," Alice told her, a new wave of guilt washing over her.

"Yeah," Lori sighed, "it's difficult for Carl to be without a father…and it's been difficult for me too."

"Lori…" Alice began, wanting to somehow comfort the woman.

"I just thought you should know and it's okay to remember him, but I also think that it's good to try to find happiness elsewhere. Everyone deserves a little bit of happiness right now…." She trailed off before turning to look away. She was staring at Carl and Shane who were now sitting near the RV. Shane was explaining something to Carl, who looked up at the cop in excitement.

"I think those people around you, who can bring you that happiness, are the reason I can find anything to smile about these days," Alice agreed, sensing that Lori wasn't talking about her anymore.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." Lori said, giving Alice a weak smile, "I'm here if you ever need someone to talk to." She walked over to Carl and Shane, gently ruffling her son's hair. Shane smiled at Lori, leaning over Carl to whisper something to her. _Oh_ , thought Alice, _Lori and Shane are together._

She paused in front of Daryl's tent, suddenly unsure what she wanted to do. She wondered how Lori could have moved on from her husband so quickly. She tried not to make any judgments though, but it was difficult not to. She had lost Derrick months ago and even considering trying to move past his death made her stomach curl in guilt and shame. She turned away from Daryl's tent. _C'mon, Alice_ , she mentally chastised herself as she entered her own tent. _Don't be silly…you only wanted to see Daryl because you needed to explain to him that no one blames him for the incident with Sophia. That's it._ But, the knot in her stomach didn't disappear.

She paused when she noticed that her stuff had been sifted through. Her duffle bag was open…and the medicine bag wasn't in its correct place.

"What the hell…" she muttered, bending down to open her bag. The contents were no longer in order. What stood out to the most was the missing bottle of Percocet. She knew for a fact that the painkillers were there after the group's departure to Atlanta, meaning they disappeared _after_ Merle left. If not Merle, then who had entered her tent to take the painkillers? Nothing else looked to have been stolen.

She jerked upwards and exited her tent, wanting to see if any of Daryl's equipment had been taken. Before she could enter Daryl's tent, she heard a crunch underneath her shoe. She looked down at the ground—lying close to the edge of the entrance was a clear, orange bottle of Percocet. It was nearly empty. Her mind began to race. Daryl had access to her tent—he could have easily taken the bottle while she was doing laundry. He probably dropped it here by accident. She felt cheated, fooled, and deceived. She exhaled in despair. Abruptly, she began to walk towards where she saw Daryl enter the forest. It only took her a minute to locate him. He was leaning against a large tree, eyes snapping towards her when he heard her approaching him.

She wasn't thinking logically, acting purely on impulse. He eyed her wearily as she stormed up to him, clutching the bottle of painkillers. She was furious, but most of all, she felt disappointed. She was so hurt, she could just smack him. She wanted to slap him, make him hurt… make him feel the way she did. She trusted him and he messed everything up.

"Are you going to explain to me how my painkillers ended up in your tent?" She hissed, throwing the nearly empty bottle at his feet.

Daryl narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest but didn't say anything.

"You and your brother are _both_ druggies, is that it?" she continued, her temper boiling over.

When he didn't answer, she scoffed and turned to walk past him, "unbelievable!"

"You don't know nothin'," he growled, taking her upper arms in his iron grip, preventing her from leaving. His hands were warm and rough on her skin, and so strong.

"Yeah? So, explain," she snapped, "because to me, it seems that you are just here to collect people's medication so you can get high. I found my painkillers in your tent. Merle's gone so it's pretty obvious that you actually had the gall to pick through _my_ belongings and take it."

She tried to wrench herself free, turning her head so she didn't have to look at him. Daryl didn't let her. Instead, he tightened his grip. He was really tall…big… and intimidating. He was all hard angles and steel. Even his eyes were a steel blue colorAlice realized.

"You're wrong," His voice was suddenly low and intense. He released one of her arms to cup her chin in his large hand and hold her so she couldn't look away. He was so close to her. Involuntarily, she blushed.

"So. Who. Took. It?" she enunciated each individual word, feeling the heat from his hand scorch her cheek. "Was it Carl? Sophia? Carol? Dale? Amy? Lori? Or Ed…who can't walk? Because they were the only one's around except for _you_. Is this why you wanted to invite me and Glenn along? So that you could steal valuable medications that people might actually need?"

"I didn't take _shit_ ," he hissed, eyes blazing, "n' I don't hear you accusin' Shane."

"I don't believe you," she finally snapped, dismissing his comment about Shane. He jerked his arm back, causing her to stumble forwards into him.

"Bitch," he growled, wrenching away from her and spitting on the ground next to her feet. He didn't look back at her as he stomped deeper into the woods.

Alice looked at his retreating figure, breathing raggedly, not understanding why she cared so much.

She stumbled back to camp, ignoring the questioning look that Dale sent her.

"Alice, what happened? Where's Daryl?" he asked her as he climbed down from the RV.

"He went hunting," she replied tersely, moving past him.

"Again? Everything okay?"

"Oh yes, just peachy," she replied sarcastically.

"Hey, slow down," Dale called, walking after her. She let out a choked sob before collecting herself.

"Listen Dale, I'm just going to grab my bag and look at Ed," she told him, sighing in exhaustion, "I'm sorry I'm so on edge… I'm just worried about Glenn. After I tend to Ed, I'm going to help Amy and Carol prepare dinner, okay?"

This time Dale let her walk past him, accepting her apology and explanation. She grabbed her bag from her tent, trying not to look at Daryl's tent as she walked past. She was about to head back to see Ed when Sophia ran up to her, her eyes welling with tears.

"Dr. Alice?" she gulped, "you have to come look at my Dad."

"Don't worry," she calmed Sophia, "I'm heading over there now. What's wrong?"

Sophia hiccupped before replying, "he's not responding when I call him."

Alice jerked her head in understanding. She walked briskly over to the tent, Sophia jogging behind her to keep up with her long strides.

"I'm coming in," she warned before she entered the tent. Ed didn't reply. She grimaced slightly when she saw what Shane had done—Ed's face was almost unrecognizable.

"Ed? Are you asleep?" she asked. When he didn't respond she immediately sat down next to him, feeling for a pulse. His breathing was slow and labored, but his eyes shot open when she pinched his ear.

 _Well, he's not dead_ , Alice determined, shocked to see how dilated his pupils were. His pulse was abnormally slow.

"Alice?" she heard a small, timid voice behind her.

Alice turned to see Sophia standing at the tent entrance, looking at her father warily. "Is he going to be okay? I think it's my fault he's not responding."

"What do you mean, Sophia?" Alice asked the girl, turning back to Ed, moving him into a recovery position. He didn't react when she opened his mouth to make sure he hadn't swallowed his tongue.

"He was feeling really sick…" Sophia began to explain, "and I wanted to help him." Alice winced feeling even more guilty—Dale was right, she was a doctor, who had taken the Hippocratic Oath as a medical student. She had pledged to "do no harm" to her patients. It seemed that with the world ending, she had forgotten that she had promised to do her best to aid the sick.

Sophia looked up at her, tears welling in her eyes. "I'm sorry Dr. Alice. Dad told me he needed some painkillers. He said you had some. And I found them for him. I think he took too many like Uncle Jack did. And that's why he's not waking up!"

It took a second for Alice to process what Sophia had told her. "Sophia, how many did he take? When did this happen?" she asked the young girl slowly, beginning to realize in horror what had happened.

"I don't know," Sophia cried, her voice quivering, "he gave me the bottle back and I tried to return it, but I got scared…I dropped it by your tent and ran."

"Sophia. Go get Shane and Dale," she commanded. Sophia didn't need to be told twice—she rushed out of the tent as Alice turned back to Ed, realizing she needed to empty his stomach. She didn't have any of the proper equipment for pumping his stomach so she settled on inducing his gag reflex, knowing that if she didn't do something fast, liver failure was highly possible. He must have taken the pills hours ago, but she needed to try nevertheless.

Sophia was back a minute later, but Shane wasn't with her. Instead, she saw Daryl standing beside Dale, looking past her to where Ed was curled up. When his eyes turned on her she looked away.

"Sophia, go wait with your mother," Alice ordered, ushering Daryl and Dale into the tent. She avoided Daryl's gaze as she turned back to Ed, knowing that she needed to concentrate on the patient—she refused to feel guilty right now.

"I think he overdosed on painkillers," she explained, gesturing for Daryl and Dale to haul Ed up.

"You gave him too many?" Dale asked in shock.

"No. Sophia took the painkillers and gave them to him. I don't know how many pills he took," Alice explained, still unable to look at Daryl. She positioned Ed between the two men so that his airway would be open.

"I need you to hold him like this… make sure he is facing downwards," she told Daryl. He flinched when she readjusted his hold on Ed. As they exited the tent, Alice looked up from Ed she noticed that Daryl's dark gaze never strayed from her face. She looked away, realizing that Carol and Sophia were standing nearby, their eyes wide and frightened. Ed began to mumble something incoherent, attempting to swat away Dale and Daryl.

She gestured Carol over to her, who quickly rushed over to her side. "I'm going to induce vomiting. I don't have the proper equipment to pump his stomach. The vomit could be potentially aspirated into his lungs, which would interfere with his breathing. But it's the best that I can do," she explained to Carol, "do you want me to go forward?" When Carol nodded, she walked into the tent, grabbed a pair of gloves from the first aid kit and squatted near Ed. She stuck two fingers down Ed's throat before removing her hand. He gagged twice and then vomited down the front of his shirt. Alice didn't flinch as the mess splattered onto the ground in front of her.

"Is Ed going to be alright?" Carol asked her hesitantly. Her eyes were wide and she looked like she would be sick, but above all, she seemed weary and worn out.

Alice sighed as she inspected the ground where Ed had thrown up, "he didn't throw any pills up. I'll ask him how many he took when he's more coherent."

Alice lifted her eyes to meet Daryl's gaze, "can you place him onto his stomach?" He didn't respond, but his jaw clenched. Nevertheless, he complied, entering the tent with Ed walking shakily next to him. When he returned he moved past her, angling himself away from her. She bit her lip and winced at the sensation.

She had no idea how she had gotten into this mess…why had she blamed Daryl? She was always logical, calculating, and precise, but today she wasn't thinking clearly and had acted purely on impulse. She should have known that Daryl would not have taken the painkillers.

She turned to look at where Daryl was standing. He was talking to Carol, his voice too low for her to hear. Carol was taking up his time, and at this particularly moment, she was annoyed with her. She supposed the sensible thing to do was to apologize to Daryl immediately. But, Alice found it a difficult, if not impossible, thing to do when Carol was standing so close to him.

Instead, she chose to walk into the tent to finish looking at Ed, deciding that she would make things right between them later, brushing away the small jab of jealously she felt when she saw Carol give Daryl a watery smile. When she finished tending to Ed, satisfied that he could be left alone for the time being, she looked for where Daryl had gone. She found him near his tent smoking a cigarette. When he saw her, he scowled, turning to leave.

"Daryl!" Alice called, reaching to catch him before he could disappear into the woods. He stopped so suddenly, she crashed into him, full force. She stumbled, but before she could fall, Daryl reached out, catching her. Almost instantly, he released her, thrusting her away from him. She stared at him, suddenly unsure of what to say.

He stared back. His eyes were dark and his hands were clenched in fists at his sides.

Alice took a deep breath. "I have to apologize for what I said about the painkillers. It was an unfair thing to say and you have every right to be angry."

"I have yer permission t' be angry?" Daryl sneered, his voice harshly controlled.

"I jumped to conclusions and I _know_ you would never do that, so please, don't be upset at me. I'm sorry." she told him with sincerity. He didn't say anything, turning to leave.

"Wait!" she called again, reaching to grab his arm. When she made contact, he froze.

"Daryl?" she asked, dropping her hand, unsure what to expect from him when he turned to meet her gaze.

"You think I care?" he growled, "we ain't friends. We ain't family. We ain't nothin'. _You_ mean nothin' t' me. I don't give a shit what you think—

"We are _something_. _You_ mean something to me," Alice interrupted him, "what can I do to make you forgive me? Just tell me and I'll do it."

His eyes on her widened for a moment before he snorted in derision, "leave me be." He turned to leave and she didn't follow him.

* * *

 **Next chapter: the group from Atlanta returns and Alice heads to the CDC.**

 **I hope you all enjoy this longer chapter :) I can't believe that I have over 50 followers (crazy!) I appreciate all the feedback and reviews. I will change the story to M in the next few chapters (I will but a warning up too). And sorry for Merle's language (I wanted to stick to his character's habits, but I apologize if it made anyone uncomfortable).**


	7. Chapter 7

**Characters are from TWD. I am just writing for fun :)**

* * *

 **Nothin'**

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 **Author's Note:**

 _This chapter turned out too long, so I decided to split it up (Alice is gonna be headed towards the CDC soon, I promise)!_

 _And sorry for the long update time. I had a busy week and I didn't want to post a chapter with a ton of grammatical errors, so I took some time to reread this chapter._

 _Also, I would love any feedback you have for me. I have the story planned out, but I can always change something if needed. After the next chapter, I plan to make the story pretty AU. So, let me know if you prefer to see the group split up, stay together, diverge from the episodes in the TV show, or follow the TV show. Let me know what you think :)_

 _Thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews. And thanks for reading!_

* * *

Alice watched as Amy put water into the kettle. She hung it over the small fire and sat down next to her, wringing her hands and cracking her knuckles. Both Alice and Amy were worried—the group wasn't back from Atlanta yet and they were supposed to be back yesterday. Alice's hands separated nervously and she began to tap her fingers on her thigh.

A minute later, she stood up and began to pace around the fire. "Maybe they decided to stay an extra day in Atlanta because they found more supplies," Alice told Amy, but her explanation sounded weak even to her own ears.

"Don't worry, girls. It's too early to be alarmed," Dale comforted from his perch on the RV, "Glenn and Andrea are going to be just fine."

Alice continued to pace. Daryl wasn't back from his hunting trip either. She chewed her lip but ignored the pain. He hadn't spoken a single word to her since she had last apologized. Occasionally, she would see him gazing angrily at her, but every time, she caught him staring, he would immediately look away. She cringed, remembering what she had told him… _We are something. You mean something to me._ What had she been thinking, saying _that_ to Daryl?

Suddenly, a loud, piercing wail filled the air. Alice whipped her head to look up at Dale, fear filling her heart.

"Talk to me, Dale," Shane called, rushing up to the RV, Lori by his side.

"I can't tell yet," Dale announced, looking through his binoculars for the source of the sound.

"Is it them?! Are they back?!" Amy asked, her eyes straining to see the source of the sound.

"I'll be damned," Dale muttered.

"What is it?" Amy asked, her voice slightly shaking.

"A stolen car is my guess," Dale answered.

A minute later, Alice was able to see the source of the high-pitched sound. Coming directly at them, travelling at full speed, was a red sports car. The car screeched to halt.

"It's not a Ferrari, Alice…but it's the best I could do," Glenn called to her over the noise as he got out of the car.

Alice was too relieved to see Glenn back in one piece to even care about the noise. The rest of the group was crowding around Glenn, shouting at him to turn off the siren. Amy was at his left side, bombarding him with questions about Andrea. Glenn threw Alice an apologetic grimace as he got back into the car to pop the hood to allow Jim to turn off the wailing.

"Is Andrea alright? Where is she?" Amy called to Glenn.

"She's okay! She's okay!" Glenn answered after he popped the hood open.

"Is she coming back?" Amy asked again, still yelling to be heard over the noise and commotion.

Jim began to work on disabling the alarm, throwing both Glenn and Amy a dirty look.

"Yes!" Glenn answered, throwing his hands up in frustration.

The noise finally ceased. Alice went to go stand close to Glenn, trying to hide her grin.

"Everybody is fine," Glenn finally told the group, no longer having to yell to be heard.

"Oh, thank God, where is—

Alice's question was interrupted by Shane. "Are you crazy? Driving this wailing bastard up here? Are you trying to draw every walker for miles?"

"Shane!" Alice warned.

"I think we'll be okay," Dale added, giving Glenn a sympathetic nod.

"You call being stupid okay?" Shane asked sarcastically.

"Stop," Alice told the cop, glaring at him.

"Well, the alarm was echoing all over the hills…It's hard to pinpoint the source," Dale rationalized.

Shane frowned at both Alice and Dale, shaking his head.

"I'm not arguing, just saying," Dale said, probably wishing he hadn't spoken when he saw the look Shane gave him. "It wouldn't hurt you to think things through a little more carefully next time, would it?"

"Sorry," Glenn said, looking down at his sneakers in embarrassment. He looked up a second later, flashing Alice a large grin. "But I got us a cool car…right, Alice?"

"That's right!" Alice replied, smiling brightly at her friend and ignoring the disbelieving looks the rest of the group gave them.

"How'd y'all get out of there anyway?" Shane questioned Glenn.

"New guy—he got us out," Glenn replied, pointing at the truck which had just pulled up into the camp.

"New guy?" Shane asked, looking over his shoulder to see what Glenn was pointing at.

"Hey, helicopter boy, come say hello!" Morales called.

Alice also turned to look at the new arrival. He was wearing a cop's uniform and he was staring at Lori with desperation—his eyes were hungrily taking her in. Alice looked at Glenn for an explanation, but she momentarily distracted by Shane's sudden change in countenance. He turned pale, a disbelieving expression passing over his face.

"Oh my God," she heard Lori breathe out suddenly.

"DAD! DAD!"

 _Holy crap,_ Alice thought as she saw Carl run into his father's arms, realizing that this was Lori's husband. She watched the family reunited—Lori looked shocked and horrified, but she embraced her husband, briefly looking up to meet Shane's gaze. The back of Alice's neck prickled as she realized the predicament Lori was now in.

"Did ya miss me?" she heard Merle holler at her as he descended from the truck. She rolled her eyes, but waved to him, not bothering to hide her smile. Despite Merle's many flaws, she was relieved to see him back at the camp.

As Merle sauntered over, he shouldered Rick roughly out of the way. Alice gave Glenn another questioning look.

"They were going to leave him chained to a pipe on a roof," Glenn muttered in explanation.

"In the middle of Atlanta?" Alice asked incredulously.

Glenn shrugged, "I convinced T-Dog to uncuff him, but Merle was _pissed_."

Alice nodded in understanding, "thanks for helping him." Merle was crude, unpredictable, vulgar and rash, but he had _saved_ her and Glenn. Today, obviously Glenn had returned the favor.

* * *

The next morning, Alice woke up to the sound of voices speaking outside of her tent. She stretched, enjoying the comfort of the sleeping bag.

"Alice? Glenn?" She heard Lori call to them from outside their tent, "will you guys come out here for a minute?"

She opened her eyes to something nudging her side, "get your foot off of my rib," she grumbled at Glenn, pinching one of his toes. He sat up, his hair completely disheveled. Glenn looked around the tent like he forgot where he was before letting out a sigh and plopping back down onto his sleeping bag.

"Just a minute, Lori!" Alice called back, ruffling Glenn's hair before leaving him in the tent to find Lori and Rick standing outside their tent.

"What can I do for you?" she asked the couple, eyeing Lori carefully, wanting to understand what the woman was going through.

"Lookin' good, Glenn," Rick remarked with a slight smirk when he saw Glenn's disheveled form stumble out of the tent.

"Well, I'm sorry I woke you, but Rick got shot…and he was in a coma. If you're not too busy, would you take a look at him?"

"I'll take a look at you, Rick. Just let me brush my teeth and change," Alice told the man kindly. After changing, her and Glenn ate breakfast and walked down to the water to wash up.

She hummed a tune as she brushed her teeth near the water, noting how chipper she felt after Glenn's arrival. He was brushing his teeth alongside her, humming the same tune, albeit slightly off key.

"I'm glad your back, Glenn," Alice told honestly after she spit out the toothpaste.

He gestured his agreement before also spitting out the toothpaste. "Glad to be back, Doc."

They walked back together to the camp, chatting about the celebrities they predicted had survived before they found Rick eating breakfast with Carl. "Your help is much appreciated doctor," Rick replied in a thick Southern drawl when she walked up to him.

"Step into my office, officer. You're a cop, so I am going to assume your insured," Alice joked, signaling Rick to follow her to her tent, "I'll take you on your word and won't ask for your insurance card."

Rick chuckled as he followed Alice into the tent, "I'm afraid I don't even have a couple of dollars for the co-pay."

"Under the circumstances, I think I'll make an exception," Alice replied, "now, I'm just going to take a look at the gunshot wound and I'll give you a routine physical examination."

She went through the usual motions, explaining to Rick what she was checking as she did so. Last night, she had been shocked to find out what Rick had to go through to find his family. Despite the fact that he was willing to chain Merle to a pipe and leave him on a roof in Atlanta, Rick struck her as honest and fair, so she responded kindly to his questions about her and Glenn's own journey to Georgia.

"Well, officer, you are fit as a fiddle," she finally concluded, "your gunshot wound has healed beautifully."

"Thanks, doctor," Rick replied. "I heard your headin' up to the CDC with Glenn n' the Dixons," Rick continued to speak as he sat up to button his shirt backup.

Alice looked at him carefully, "I am. The camp actually decided to go with us."

"Well, I was thinkin' Fort Benning might be a safer bet for the group."

Alice blinked in surprise before she replied slowly. "Rick, my sister is at the CDC. There is _no_ other bet for me. That's where Glenn and I are going…with or without everyone else."

She was telling the truth. She would leave _anyone_ and _anything_ in order to find Nancy. It didn't matter that Shane and Rick wouldn't go with her. She had Glenn. And she hoped that the Dixons would follow too.

A scream from the woods cut Rick's response off.

"CARL!" Lori screamed from outside the tent.

Rick immediately ran out, his shirt still unbuttoned. Alice picked up her bat, before running after him. She saw Carl run into his mother's arms from behind a tree.

"I'm not bit!" he cried.

Alice squatted down next to Lori and Carl to verify that he wasn't scratched or she was sure he was fine, she followed Shane into the woods. They stopped when they saw the walker that had scared Carl bent over a deer's carcass. She backed away, deciding to stand near Amy and Andrea instead of aiding the men. She winced as they took turns bashing the walker. Alice noticed that they weren't aiming for the head. Jim was using his pitchfork in an attempt to pierce the walker's backside and Rick was aiming his crowbar at the back of the creature's neck. Each strike was dull and wet, but the walker kept moving.

She stepped forward, deciding to end this macabre display. She pushed past Dale, who judging by his lifted axe was about to decapitate the walker.

She raised her bat and swung at the walker's temple. The creature collapsed instantly. She lifted the bat again and aimed for exactly the same spot. The walker stopped moving, so she turned to face the group. They were breathing heavily, obviously exhausted from the physical strain they exerted trying to _incorrectly_ kill the creature.

"The skull is designed to protect the brain, but even the skull has its weak points," she explained as she squatted near the walker. She ran her finger over the walker's head before turning to look at the men and women surrounding her. "That's why you have to aim for the temple. This region of the skull is weaker—more fragile. So, if you clonk them in the temple, it's easier to kill the walker." She poked what remained of the walker's left temple for emphasis.

She wiped her bloody bat on the walker's shirt and straightened herself up. She noticed that some of them looked too shocked to react so she cleared her throat and continued speaking. "Fun fact—the pterion is the weakest part of the skull and it's located right behind the temple…so I guess… aim there," she finished her scientific explanation. Alice hitched her shoulders in a slight shrug when no one responded.

"Well. This is the second walker we've seen up here…we assumed there'd be none this far into the woods," Dale finally said, shaking his head as if to clear the mental image of what just had occurred.

Morales nodded in agreement, his eyes frantic. "They never come this far up the mountain."

"Well, they're running out of food in the city, that's what," Jim told them.

A branched snapped somewhere in the distance, making everyone jump. Shane aimed his gun at the approaching footsteps and Alice fell back, pulling Glenn back with her.

"Son of a bitch!" she heard Daryl swear as he entered the clearing. When she saw him approaching the group, she was about to call out to him, but she caught herself just in time, remembering their last heated exchange.

"Oh, Jesus," Dale muttered.

"That's _my_ deer!" Daryl growled.

"Look at it…all gnawed on by this… Filthy, disease-bearing, motherless poxy bastard," Daryl continued to swear as he kicked the walker. Alice watched in morbid fascination at his movements until she realized that she was no longer staring at the walker, but at his shirt which plastered against this chest from the sweat of his hunt.

"Daryl, calm down," Dale told him, "that's not helping anyone, son."

"What do you know about it, old man?" Daryl stormed up to Dale, ignoring her completely. She wished he would have yelled at her instead of giving her the cold shoulder. She walked over to the deer and began to pull the arrows out of its flank.

"Why don't you take that stupid hat and go back to Golden Pond," Daryl barked.

The group exchanged incredulous glances when Daryl walked back to the deer. He nudged her unceremoniously out of the way before pulling out the remaining arrows. "I've been tracking this deer for miles. I was gonna drag it back to camp, cook us up some venison. What do you think? Do you think we can cut around this chewed up part right here?"

Alice shook her head, "absolutely not."

"I would not risk it," Shane confirmed.

"That's a damn shame!" Daryl lamented, kicking the helpless walker again. "I got some squirrel—about a dozen or so," Daryl told the group, gesturing to his belt. "That'll have to do."

"Thanks, Daryl!" Alice told him, "we really appreciate you getting us food."

When no one else said anything, she elbowed Glenn sharply, who immediately jerked to attention.

"Yeah, man. Thanks!"

Daryl squinted at her with deep suspicion before he walked back to camp, without glancing back at any of them.

"Hey! Wait up," Alice called, scrambling to catch up with his long strides.

"Merle!" Daryl called ignoring her. "Merle! Get your ugly ass out here! I got us some squirrel! Let's stew 'em up!"

"He's sleeping," Alice explained, "and I just wanted to say that I'm sorry…again."

"So?" Daryl asked, suddenly looking suspicious again.

She shifted under his glare, unsure of what he wanted from her.

"And…well…I thought you should know that Merle got high in Atlanta."

"Yeah?" Daryl snapped, "and you think I'm high too? Is that what yer checkin'? Want me to pee in a cup for ya?"

Alice winced. "No, Daryl…I know you aren't a drug addict…and besides I don't have the proper equipment needed to check…whatever…that's irrelevant. I _already_ apologized! I just thought that you would want to know…maybe talk to him? We should sort this out before we head out to the CDC. Shane was worried…" Alice began to explain, but she stopped talking, her voice faltering when she saw his eyes flash in anger when she mentioned Shane.

"Why you so desperate to get to the CDC anyhow?" he snapped, "s' gonna be a waste of time. There probably ain't no cure."

Alice silently absorbed his outburst, staring up at him. Should she be angry at Daryl for his comment? Maybe. But Alice knew that she couldn't muster an ounce of outrage at him at this moment.

"My sister…she's there," Alice whispered, "you know that."

She knew that he was lashing out at her for her previous accusation. She suddenly felt pathetic for caring what he thought of her, then guilty because she probably deserved his wrath.

"Yer sister," Daryl scoffed harshly, "bit the dust somewhere 'round the airport. She probably never even made it to Atlanta."

His words cut deeper than she had imagined was possible. She felt no anger at him when he brought up the CDC, but his cruel remark about Nancy crossed a line. She raised reluctant eyes to Daryl, her jaw jutting in defiance. Alice wanted to slap him, but instead, she eyed him coldly. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he'd hit the mark in trying to hurt her—she was petrified of not finding Nancy.

"Daryl, I'm sorry for hurting your feelings," she told him, but the apology now sounded bitter and insincere. "You'd do the same for Merle. This isn't blind faith." She dropped his gaze and turned back to walk to her tent. She heard Daryl trailing behind her, but she didn't turn to look at him. She tried to control her anger at him, but it was threatening to burst through.

"So…you alone in Atlanta, _that's_ your big plan? For a bag of guns, you're willin' to risk your life?" Alice heard Lori ask her husband as she walked past the couple. Alice stopped instantly to listen to their conversation, realizing that Rick wanted to head back to the city. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw Rick turn to Glenn. He eyed Glenn seriously, asking him silently if he would go with him to Atlanta.

"Oh, come on," Glenn sighed and pulled his baseball cap over his eyes,

"You know the way. You've been there before—in and out. No problem. You said so yourself. It's not fair of me to ask. I know that. But I'd feel a lot better with you along. I know Lori would to," Rick implored.

Alice stepped forward, clenching her fists, her knuckles white. She wasn't going to let Rick coerce Glenn into going to Atlanta.

"Rick. Glenn is not going," she told the man icily, "you aren't going to risk his life like that…for just some guns."

"Alice, it's fine," Glenn protested, "we might need the weapons—

"You're not going. That's final!" she snapped, staring daggers at Rick. Glenn began to protest again, but Rick interrupted him.

"I'm alive because a man and his little boy. They said they'd follow me to Atlanta. They'll walk into the same trap I did if I don't warn him. There's a walkie-talkie in the bag I dropped. He's got the other one. Our plan was to connect when they got closer. I _have_ to go back."

Alice faltered—one look at Glenn and she knew that he was willing to risk his own life to go into Atlanta to help Rick find the walkie-talkie. She cared for Glenn too deeply to let him go to Atlanta again, especially after hearing how his last trip with Rick went. So, she decided to do what she would have done for Nancy.

"I know Atlanta ten times better than Glenn," Alice announced to the group. That of course, was a lie. She had only been to Atlanta once in her life...and that was with Glenn. Alice threw her shoulders back and turned to Rick.

"I'm ready to go to Atlanta instead," she told him confidently.

"Oh great, so we're gonna send the doctor now?" Shane asked, clearly annoyed with Rick.

"Alright. Alice and me will go," Rick agreed, nodding his head in thanks to her, obviously oblivious to the fact that she had no idea how to even get them back to Atlanta.

"She doesn't know her way around Atlanta!" Glenn exclaimed, looking at her in horror.

"Actually, I know it very well," she replied with false bravado, "like the back of my hand!"

Glenn began to protest again, but Alice waved him off, hoping to convince Rick to believe her over Glenn. She was beyond shocked when Daryl reached out and grabbed her arm harshly. "You ain't goin'" he growled, low enough so only she could hear, "I'll drag ya by the hair n' chain you to the fence if I have to."

"You have no say," she snapped, not understanding Daryl's change in behavior. But, she didn't have time for whatever the hell Daryl was doing. "I don't want Glenn out there _again_!"

"She ain't going," he growled, this time louder, addressing the group now.

"Screw you, Daryl," she told the man again.

"Rick, she's never been to Atlanta!" Glenn cried out, "Well, she was there _once_! And I was there with her! I'm good with going."

Rick looked at her, clearly annoyed and asked, "this true?"

Swallowing another protest, Alice shrugged, "I know it pretty well."

"Rick, I'll go!" Glenn told the cop, "In and out. It'll be easy."

Alice wasn't willing to resign herself to this fate. She would not wait again for Glenn.

"Let me go with you, please?" she begged Rick.

Rick turned to Glenn, "it's your call, man."

She threw Rick the dirtiest look she could muster before she turned with pleading eyes to look at Glenn.

"Glenn," she whispered, "you _can't_ leave me here alone. We're in this together, remember?"

Glenn looked at her for a moment before nodding his agreement, "Okay. The three of us will go."

"Fuck!" she heard Daryl snap behind her, "you dumb or somethin'?"

"What'ya bitchin' 'bout baby brother?" Merle suddenly exclaimed, peaking his head from out of his tent to observe the fiasco.

She ignored the argument that Shane, Rick, and Daryl were now having over their departure. She walked with Glenn towards her tent instead, gripping his arm tightly.

"Listen, Alice…I'm sorry," Glenn began to apologize as they made their way over to the tent.

"Glenn, don't say sorry. We're a team, right? I'll go where you'll go."

He nodded, relaxing a little when he saw that she wasn't angry at him. She smiled at him and began to collect her belongings.

When they exited the tent, Glenn looked nervously at Daryl who was now striding over to them.

"Maybe we should bring guns, just in case," she told Glenn, ignoring Daryl's approaching figure. "I know that—

"I guess yer fancy education taught you everything but common sense," Daryl sneered at her, "the noise would draw every damn walker in Atlanta towards you."

Her eyes flashed and she laughed humorlessly, "careful, Daryl."

Glenn looked between the two of them before taking several steps in the direction of the van. "I'll, uh, wait for you in the car, Alice."

She saw Daryl shift uncomfortably under her gaze—she noticed a sudden shift in his mood, turning from demanding to beseeching. He rubbed the back of his neck and shuffled his feet before speaking. "Listen…just be careful, alright?" Daryl mumbled so softly that she almost couldn't hear. She thought she heard his voice falter and fail, but she didn't take pity on him.

" _We ain't_ _nothing',_ remember, Daryl?" she snapped, throwing his words back at him. "Keep your concern to yourself."

She drew her shoulders back and tilted her head up to glare at him with stormy eyes, daring him to say anything else. She saw him struggle under her gaze again. She turned to the van and strode towards it without a second look back at him.

As she walked towards Glenn and Rick, she squeezed her bat with both hands, her fists so tight her knuckles were white. When the van started moving, she turned to look back at Daryl. He looked so miserable, she was tempted to take pity on him, but she shoved away the guilt she felt at having ignored Daryl's attempt at making peace. She needed to concentrate on the task at hand—she could not afford to let herself become distracted.

* * *

He chewed on his thumb as he watched Alice get into the van. Guilt began to gnaw at his conscience as he realized how cruel his comment about her sister had been.

He had a tendency of being an asshole when he was uncomfortable. And it made him _uncomfortable_ that she was so _comfortable_ around him. She never treated him and Merle the way Amy, Andrea, Lori, and all the other women in the camp, treated them. Maybe Carol was the exception.

But then Alice had accused him of stealing. So, he lashed out at her. It wasn't the accusation that set him off—he'd been called far worse. What angered him was that he hadn't _expected_ it from her and he hadn't _expected_ himself to care so much.

And then he fucked up by almost making her cry today. He'd been a douchebag for telling her that her sister was dead. It didn't make it any less true, but he had told her that out of spite.

He had been tempted to go with her to Atlanta, but his brother's appearance stopped him in his tracks. Merle would have seen right through him. He wasn't her husband or her boyfriend—it wasn't his job to look after her. Besides, Alice could handle herself. That didn't stop him from telling Rick exactly what he thought of his idiotic trip to Atlanta with Glenn and Alice though.

He sat down and began to skin the squirrels, slicing through them a little more roughly than needed. He felt like a fucking coward.

"Don't think I don't see the way you've been ogglin' 'er," Merle told him as he took a seat next to him.

"I ain't ogglin'"

"You fuck her while I was gone?"

"Jesus, Merle," Daryl snapped.

Merle leaned back, crossing his arms behind his head as he observed Daryl.

"What?" Daryl challenged his brother, "you really got high in Atlanta?"

Merle laughed as he lit one of his cigarettes, "so what if I did?"

Daryl grunted in annoyance. He knew Merle had left to Atlanta to search for more drugs—his meth stash had dwindled.

"You found any? Have you been using?"

"Baby brother," Merle said in a harshly calm, tone, like a teacher reprimanding a misbehaving student, "there ain't gonna be no issue between us. Ya hear?"

"I hear," Daryl answered, cutting into the squirrel's tail a little too forcefully.

Merle was going to start his drug habit up again and Daryl knew he would have to babysit him until he eventually crashed like he always wound up doing.

"I say we split, baby-brother. Grab some supplies, maybe the RV, and head out."

Daryl stared at his brother in mild shock, "we ain't headin' to the CDC?"

Merle raised an eyebrow at him, "you so's sweet on the doctor, huh?"

When Daryl didn't reply, Merle continued to talk, "this group ain't workin' for us. Those assholes were gonna leave me on a roof to rot."

"Wha' 'bout Glenn?" Daryl asked.

"Chinaman decided to play hero," Merle told him, "but if the whole group heads to the CDC, it ain't gonna be so pretty."

Daryl didn't say anything, but he felt his jaw tighten in annoyance. He couldn't leave Merle alone because Merle was family. He'd go where Merle went. Merle had left him plenty of times, but he had always chosen to come back. He'd been arrested and sent to juvie, but he returned. And he came back from the army too. Since then, it had been the two of them. You and me against the world, Merle had told him when he was younger.

"Women like her ain't ever gonna pay attention to ya. Best forget her," Merle added, nodding towards Alice's tent.

"It ain't like that," Daryl snapped, "s' dumb to leave without a group."

"Tell ya what," Merle smirked at him as he leaned in, "we'll take Chinaman n' the doctor with us. That way you can have a go at 'er. Maybe get laid n' forget 'bout her. You wanna fuck her, right?"

Daryl gave another noncommittal grunt. He couldn't deny he was attracted to her, that he wanted her, but he wasn't one for dating. Occasionally, if he got drunk enough, he would wake up in bed with someone, but those women weren't anything like Alice. They had bleached hair, heavy makeup, wore tight dresses, and were gone by the time he woke up. Alice didn't seem like that type of woman. She probably only wanted men who were polished, proper, and educated. And he wasn't that type of man.

"You a boy or a man?" Merle asked him.

"I ain't no boy," Daryl growled.

"Then, man up!" Merle smacked the back of his head before standing up, "this ain't your family. No one is gonna care for you like I do, baby brother."

"You ain't gonna help?" Daryl asked in annoyance, gesturing at the squirrels.

"Nah, s' all you, Darylina. I'm gonna go see if the sisters need my help with fishin'" Merle replied, leering at Amy and Andrea who were standing near the RV trying to untangle a fishing wire, "I think Andrea wants a piece of 'ole Merle."

Daryl scoffed before turning back to his work, ignoring his brother. He wondered when Merle would want to leave camp and if he were serious about taking Alice and Glenn with them. He sat in silence for an hour concentrating on his work, trying to shove Alice far out of his mind.

He only looked up from skinning the squirrels when he heard Ed's harsh voice calling Sophia. He turned to see the man hobble from his tent, his face almost unrecognizable. With one eye completely closed, the other badly swollen, his lip cut, and numerous stitches crossing over his face, he looked deranged.

"Come here, Sophia," Ed commanded. His jaw was bruised, preventing him from speaking too loudly, but Sophia heard her Dad's summoning. She looked up from where she was sitting to look at her mother, silently asking if she should go.

Carol didn't protest, her eyes cast down at the shirt she was stitching. Sophia stood up meekly and approached her father. Daryl didn't want Sophia to hang around Ed…even after Shane beat him to a pulp, he didn't trust Ed to be around Sophia. He'd seen the way he watched his daughter, like some kind of pervert. Daryl stood up, wanting to intervene when he heard Merle's booming voice.

"Hey, girlie, get over here and learn to gut a fish," Merle called to Sophia. He was standing next to Amy and Andrea, holding a large number of fish strung together, but his eyes were trained on Ed.

Sophia paused in front of her Dad, wavering as to whether she should stay with her Dad or approach Merle.

"Make yourself useful," Merle called again, "they ain't gonna clean themselves."

She looked at Merle guardedly before starting to walk towards him.

"It sounds like your orderin' my daughter 'round, Dixon," Ed spoke, but his words were muddled by his swollen lips.

"And watcha gonna do 'bout it?" Merle asked, casually ambling towards him, "seems ta me that yer in no position to do much 'bout nothin'."

Daryl could feel waves of anger coming off Ed, but Ed was apparently scared of Merle. Ed's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard, but he limped back into his tent without saying another word. Merle let out a low whistle and chuckled, "bitch."

"Well, I ain't got all day, girlie," Merle called loudly to Sophia as he turned to her, "better get yer ass in gear n' start workin'"

Daryl expected to see the same fear in her eyes he saw when he had accidently almost knocked her over, but instead she smiled shyly up at Merle.

"Alright, Mr. Dixon," she replied.

"Can I help too, Mr. Dixon?" Carl chimed in, looking at the fish in excitement.

"I ain't gonna say," Merle shrugged, "n' don't call me Mr. Dixon."

"I don't think that's a good idea, sweetie," Daryl heard Lori tell her son in a hushed tone.

"But Sophia, Amy, _and_ Andrea are helpin' and they're _girls_ ," Carl complained.

"Lori," Shane called down from top of the RV where he was sitting with Dale, "it'd be good—

"No, Shane. You need to back off right now," Lori snapped.

Daryl wanted to bark at Lori for being so uptight, but he decided against it. It wasn't any of his business how she dealt with her son. Instead, he raised an eyebrow at Merle, but his older brother just grunted at him and returned to his work, explaining to the two sisters and Sophia how to gut a fish properly.

"You need any help with those squirrels?" he heard Carol ask. He shrugged signaling his agreement.

"Ya can put the meat in the pot over there," Daryl answered dismissively, "maybe start a stew up."

"I'm glad your brother is safe," Carol told him softly, "I heard what happened in Atlanta."

Daryl blinked in surprise. This group of people was constantly suspicious of him and Merle, and he'd never heard someone say that they were glad that Merle was safe and sound. Lori sure didn't look happy that Merle was back.

"Good that he's keepin' Sophia away from that bastard father of 'ers" Daryl replied.

"Ed still hasn't recovered," Carol told him, "Alice thinks his liver might be failing."

Daryl snorted in derision at her excuse but didn't say anything in reply.

"What?" he asked when he saw Carol looking at him intently.

"It's not that simple," Carol replied, "he's my husband."

"And she's yer little girl," Daryl snapped, wishing that Carol had some backbone or at least some more sense to realize that her husband was a complete asshole. It shouldn't be Shane or Merle coming to her rescue every damn time.

"You don't understand," Carol whispered, looking down at her hands.

"Whatever," Daryl grumbled, returning to skinning the squirrels in silence. He understood plenty—he'd seen the same fear and guilt in his mother's own eyes. But, he didn't say anything.

When he finished skinning the animals, he allowed Carol to take over with preparing the actual meal. She'd cooked a stew several times before and it came out pretty tasty.

Alice had offered to cook for him, Merle and Glenn once when he had caught a handful of squirrels. She'd nearly choked him with her terrible cooking, but him and Glenn had politely chewed and swallowed. Merle hadn't been so kind. He had told her that he'd rather have his own mother serving in a whore house than eat her cooking again. She had smacked Glenn over the head when he started laughing and threatened to do the same to him if he didn't quit grinning. Daryl smirked, remembering the expression on her face when she had heard Merle's insult.

"Alice is going to be alright," Carol suddenly told him, interrupting the silence.

Her comment made Daryl pause. He stared at Carol in annoyance before he replied. "I ain't worried."

"She was worried when you were gone," Carol said, nodding her head slowly as if she didn't believe him.

"That's her issue," Daryl snapped, "she ain't my responsibility."

"I just thought you two were friends," Carol responded gently.

"Well, we ain't," Daryl told her, "let Rick and Glenn worry 'bout 'er."

He scowled, now unable to keep Alice off his mind, her smiling face flashing before him. Carol's reply was interrupted by Merle's laugh.

"Well, I'll be damned," he heard Merle say, "you ain't half bad, girlie. You's better than Darylina ever was at openin' these slimy bastards up."

* * *

 **Comments:**

 _Skynet; I had no idea about the Alice in Woodbury (it is a funny coincidence) :) I just thought the name Alice would fit her character... I'm also a big fan of Alice in Wonderland, so I've always liked that name._

 _Mushka81; Thank you! I am glad you are enjoying those moments. I have fun writing them!_

 _RHatch89; Glad you liked the chapter!_

 _DoctorWho411; I like Amy too. And Andrea. I think they would both be good friends for Alice._

 _wellclutchmypearls; Thank you :) I often find it difficult to write from Daryl's POV so hopefully I am sticking to his character!_


	8. Chapter 8

**Characters are from TWD. I am just writing for fun :)**

* * *

 **Merle's Motorcycle**

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_

 _Thank you for the continued interest and support :) I hope you enjoy this chapter-I had a lot of fun writing it!_

* * *

Dinner was a quiet affair that night with only a few words of thanks said to Carol for her cooking to break the silence. Merle didn't say much either, he just wolfed down his food in a series of grunts.

It was already dark with stormy clouds blocking the rapidly setting sun. The sky had darkened an hour ago and now the wind was beginning to blow. But, Rick, Alice and Glenn weren't back yet. Daryl chewed his lip in annoyance, straining his ears to pick up the sound of an approaching car.

Nothing.

"Maybe we should untie Jim," Jacqui said, breaking the silence.

Daryl supposed Shane knew what he was doing leading this group, but he didn't like the asshole. And today, apparently Jim had set him off. Now, Jim was tied to a tree because he had been digging up some dirt patches.

"Yeah, I'll check on him," Shane sighed.

Shane's exit was interrupted by the grumbling sound of a failing automobile engine. Daryl could see the approaching headlights in the distance.

"That's them!" Amy exclaimed. She rushed over to the approaching van, her sister at her side.

"Dad!" Carl cried, ready to rush after Amy and Andrea but Lori held him back, her eyes darting towards Shane.

Daryl also stood up, ready to walk over to the approaching car. When he saw Carol staring at him, he scowled and sat back down, waiting for the van to stop.

Then a piercing scream reverberated through the night air.

"ED!" Carol screamed, recognizing her husband's voice. She turned towards her tent, but Merle grabbed her arm before she could even move.

As if out of nowhere, several walkers began stumbling out of the woods. Daryl quickly grabbed his crossbow. But, he was too late to prevent a walker from sinking its teeth into Jacqui's bicep.

"Alice!" Andrea yelled.

Suddenly, all he could picture was Alice surrounded by walkers, tearing into her skin with bloody teeth. He heard people screaming, but he could barely hear them over the roar of the blood pounding in his ears. He felt a surge if adrenaline spike inside him.

Daryl aimed his crossbow at the hissing walker gnawing on Jacqui. The arrow lodged itself deep into the creature's eye, killing it instantly, but Jacqui was now on the ground in a spreading pool of her own blood, screaming in agony.

Merle and Shane were now standing side by side, firing shots with incredible accuracy. Carol, Lori, Sophia, and Carl were cowering behind the two men.

Satisfied that Merle had the situation under control, Daryl turned away from Jacqui and began to make his way towards the van where he could hear Rick calling for Lori and Carl. He walked past Jim who screamed and struggled against his restraints as a walker gnawed at the side of his neck. He quickly shot at the walker, and then Daryl adeptly reloaded his crossbow and unleashed another bolt, this one directed at Jim.

Daryl killed two more walkers with his crossbow, but there were too many to even count. He couldn't see Glenn or Alice in the dim light, but throughout the confusion, Daryl searched for Alice's form, hoping he wouldn't find it crumpled somewhere in midst of the dead figures.

He began to sprint towards the van when he heard Glenn's yell. He stopped only when he saw a walker with a throat full of blood, snarling and twisting towards him, its blood-soaked hands lashing out at him. He was out of arrows, so he swung his crossbow at its head. The walker stumbled slightly backwards, its lower jaw now disconnected and hanging askew, but only took a moment for it recover before it charged at him again. He raised the crossbow again, ready to strike.

Then he heard a whizzing sound coming towards him through the air. Out of instinct, he ducked. Swinging fast in a long arc, he saw a bat connect with the side of the walker's head, its skull splintering before him.

And then he saw her. Her face was covered in grime and blood. Her hair was wet with sweat, brown braids starting to come undone. He noticed that her tank top was splattered with blood stains and that her bat was dripping with blood, but she was _alive_.

She thrust a gun into his hands. "Look alive, Dixon!" Alice called to him. She threw him a quick grin, which might have been a grimace, before turning back to the walkers swarming towards them. He began to fire rounds upon the approaching walkers. Glenn was at Alice's side, fending off walkers with a crowbar.

After several shots, he was out of bullets. But, that didn't matter because it was all over in a matter of minutes. A flash of lightning lit up the sky, and rolls of thunder followed, but all that Daryl could hear now was the anguished sobbing and screaming of the group.

And then it began to rain.

He saw Carl and Lori run over to Rick, tumbling and tripping over the dead bodies. Daryl grimaced as he took a look around the camp…the corpses littered the ground, some still lightly twitching.

He could see Sophia standing next to Merle, gripping onto his shirt as if she was scared to let go. Merle knelt down in front of the girl and began to inspect her for any bite marks. Carol was at her daughter's side, looking desperately at his brother as if searching for reassurance.

He turned just in time to see Alice stumble slightly, clutching at her side. His heart continued to slam against his chest even faster than before.

"You alright?"

Alice nodded, breathing heavily, "I'm fine."

"Did you get bit?" Daryl demanded. He stepped forward, grabbing her around the waist in order to inspect her.

She tried to shrug him off, wincing at the movement. "Daryl, let go! I said I'm fine! I wasn't bit! Ow! Daryl! That hurts!"

Daryl didn't remove his hand from around her. Using his free arm, he yanked her shirt up to reveal her right side. Aside from a large bruise, there was no scratch or bite marks.

"I hit myself with my bat, happy?" Alice grumbled, pulling her shirt back down.

"That's possible?"

Daryl almost laughed at the absurdity of what she had done, but after a few minutes, the sickening feeling of the adrenaline rush left and the reality of the situation sank in.

"I also think I banged my ankle on something," she replied testily as she readjusted her footing, causing her hip to grind into his upper thigh as she stumbled into him. He tightened his hold on her in order to keep her upright. Daryl felt his neck heat up.

"Sorry," she muttered shifting again.

"Sorry," he echoed, feeling like a douchebag for enjoying how closely pressed up against him she was, especially with the piles of dead bodies around him. But that didn't prevent him from noticing that her green tank top stuck to her breasts. He hadn't forgotten their last dispute, but his body apparently was not immune to her touch.

Her response was drowned out by Jacqui's renewed wailing. Alice detached herself from him. She managed a weak smile, as though to give him reassurance and began to limp over to where Jacqui was lying. Glenn was at Jacqui's side, staring at Alice with wide eyes.

"I'm going to have to amputate her arm," Alice told Glenn. She sounded removed, as if she might have been talking about the weather and not about the removal of a woman's arm.

"NO! Please!" Jacqui sobbed, "just _kill_ me!"

Alice looked around the camp, searching for guidance. Rick was on the floor, embracing his wife and son. Shane was standing a few feet away, eyes trained on the family. Andrea, Amy, and Dale were huddled together. Amy was slightly shaking, gripping her sister's arm for support. He couldn't see Morales or his family. Only Glenn and Alice were paying any attention to the sobbing woman at his feet.

Daryl turned away and walked towards Jim's disfigured corpse. Daryl grimaced as he put his foot on Jim's neck and slid the arrow out of his eye before reloading his crossbow and walking back towards Jacqui.

 _Thunk._ He shot the arrow straight into Jacqui's left eye.

"Oh, man…" Glenn breathed out as he looked up at him.

"S' her choice," Daryl answered curtly.

Alice was still holding Jacqui's arm. She dropped her face into her hands and groaned before standing up.

"We have to dispose of the bodies," Alice told Glenn, "I don't want to risk them waking up."

Glenn nodded in agreement. Daryl turned away from the pair and walked towards his brother, passing Ed's body on the way. Merle bent down to pick up Ed's gun before wiping the blood off on his shirt. Carol and Sophia turned away when Merle pointed the gun at Ed's head.

"Let's burn this son of a bitch down," Merle announced, looking around at the camp.

Merle pulled the trigger and the silence after the gunshot was deafening.

* * *

Disposing of the bodies had taken all night. Her muscles ached from dragging the corpses. Ed, Jacqui, and Jim were buried, but the walkers were burned. Now there was nothing but the smell of burning flesh and ashes left…even thinking about the smell of burning flesh made Alice want to gag.

She sat next to Dale on the top of the RV, looking blankly at the skyline, replaying last night's events in her head, wanting to forget the sound of Jacqui and Jim's cries of agony.

Her mind drifted instead to one of the first patients she had lost when she first began her residency program.

 _She could hear the sound of his ribs cracking underneath her hands as she performed CPR. She could smell the vomit and urine from the dying man—his body was shutting down, but it was fighting to survive, eliminating any unneeded waste. He was almost naked, his clothes cut off by the nurses to allow her to resuscitate the man._

 _"If there's no improvement in the next round of CPR, call it," Dr. Brenner, the attending physician told her. He was standing over her, looking down as she continued to press desperately into the man's chest._

 _She was out of breath, her chest heaving and her arms ached as she continued to compress his chest. After every single compression, she could hear his cartilage popping._

 _She looked at the heart monitor, begging it not to flat-line. He was too young to die. The man had a family. He was a father and a husband. How was she supposed to call it? How was she supposed to let him die?_

 _"Patient was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome and died of acute respiratory failure. Time of death is 0400." Dr. Brenner announced for her._

 _The nurses filed out of the room, but she stood next to the body, unable to walk away. Alice watched as a white sheet was placed over the corpse in muted silence._

 _She didn't leave as she heard the low pitched, tortured wail of the man's wife. It was a gut-wrenching sound that Alice would remember for the rest of her life._

 _"You have to let it go," Dr. Brenner had told her afterwards. "If you don't, you'll be swallowed and consumed by grief," he explained as he put a hand on her shoulder. "You're young and you have a promising career ahead of you. This isn't the last death you'll see. Not even close. Don't let it worm into every aspect of your life or you will drown."_

 _He straightened the collar on her doctor's coat and looked her in the eye. "Now, go check on our myasthenia gravis patient, Dr. Lane."_

 _From that day on, she learned that it was easy to let oneself be consumed by grief. But, she also learned that she had to put her personal fear and anxiety aside because there were other patients relying on her._

She knew that Jacqui and Jim's deaths wouldn't be the last deaths she witnessed. This wasn't over. This wasn't even the beginning. There would be other losses, but she would move on like she always had.

 _"There's always someone else relying on you," Dr. Brenner had told her, "you can't afford to let death weigh you down."_

She took a deep breath then exhaled as she looked around the camp. Morales had already left with his family this morning, deciding he didn't want to go to Fort Benning or to the CDC. Merle and Daryl had also disappeared before sunrise to go hunting for food. Shane and Rick had been arguing all morning about the group's departure to Fort Benning.

She stretched her leg out gingerly. She held onto her shin and rubbed her ankle with a grimace. She moved her foot around a little before sighing in annoyance.

"Your ankle okay?" Dale asked her.

"It's just a little sore," Alice replied, "but the wrap is helping though."

"You think it's a good decision to go to the CDC instead of Fort Benning?" Dale asked her, not unkindly, "there's safety in numbers and Rick said—

"To hell with what Rick said," Alice interrupted sharply, "my sister is supposed to be at the CDC… so that's where I'm going. My participation in this group is not mandatory."

"And what about Glenn?" Dale continued, unfazed by her outburst, "is it safe for him?"

Alice flinched at his insinuation, but she trusted herself that she wouldn't let Glenn down.

"Glenn decided for himself that he's going with me."

During the trip to Atlanta, Alice, Rick and Glenn had discussed their options. After some argument, the three decided that Alice and Glenn would head to the CDC. Rick and the rest of the group would head to Fort Benning. If something went wrong—in either group— they would meet halfway between the two locations.

Initially, she had been livid at Rick for dragging Glenn to Atlanta, but after Glenn had been "kidnapped" by the Vatos Gang, her and Rick had worked in synch to get Glenn back in one piece.

And as it turned out, it was Rick that understood her wish to continue to the CDC. He had found his family despite terrible odds and he sympathized with her wish to find Nancy.

"And the Dixons?"

"They're grown men. They can decide."

Truth be told, she didn't know if Merle and Daryl were planning on continuing towards the CDC with her and Glenn or if they were going to go with the rest of the group to Fort Benning. Maybe they wouldn't go with either group…she hadn't asked Daryl yet. The anger she had felt about his comment about her sister being dead had simmered down after the death of Jacqui and Jim. And now she just felt guilty again. The list of things she had to apologize for was growing.

She sat with Dale a little while longer, scanning the area for any more potential walkers. Glenn was near their tent, packing up their things. She gave him a small wave, which he returned before resuming his task.

"You plannin' on sittin' there all day or you gonna help?" she heard Daryl's voice call up to her. She peered down at him. He was standing near the RV, squinting up at her with a slight smirk. He held up several squirrels and a rabbit up for her to see.

"Sorry, Dale," Alice said, scrambling down off of the RV, excited that Daryl was now communicating with her instead of snapping at her or worse, ignoring her.

"I bet they didn't teach ya this at Hopkins," Daryl told her as he handed her a knife.

Alice gave him a self-assured shrug, "don't be too sure, Daryl. In lab, I dissected mice and in medical school I worked with cadavers. I've got the hands of a neurosurgeon," She held up her hand and wiggled her fingers. "Skinning a squirrel can't be _that_ difficult."

* * *

Alice couldn't believe it. An hour later and she was barely halfway through skinning the second squirrel. Daryl hadn't spoken since his last sarcastic comment about her ineptness and Alice was almost wishing he'd start in on her again. She probably deserved it. At least then she wouldn't be so _bored_. She rotated her head back and forth to relieve the tension in her neck.

"Y'know, the longer you sit on yer ass, the longer we're both stuck here," Daryl said irritably.

"Oh, give me a break, Daryl. You're just doing this to punish me. I already said I was sorry," Alice shot back, but picked the knife back up and resumed her work.

Daryl didn't respond. Instead, he stood up, leaving her alone. She sighed but didn't stop her work. A minute or so later, a bottle of beer was thrust at her. She looked quizzically at Daryl.

"Just drink, alright? Yer worried 'bout headin' to the CDC and I'm sick of your nervous twitchin', got it?" He thrust the bottle at her again.

Alice was about to say something clever…well relatively clever…about alcohol killing brain cells, but stopped at the last moment. She hated the taste of beer, but he was actually being nice and she was thirsty. She grabbed the bottle and took a long swallow before passing it back to him, grimacing at the warm taste.

"Thanks." She muttered, looking down at the skinned animal, "Merle got this from Atlanta?" She glanced up and noticed he was staring at her with a somewhat puzzled expression on his face. He jerked his head in affirmation. He offered her the bottle again, wordlessly. She took another sip and passed it back.

It felt strange to be sitting so close to Daryl, drinking a bottle of beer, leaning against the tree trunk with a pile of dead animals between them. They sat silently but every time Alice risked a glance up from her work, Daryl was looking directly at her. He was already done with his share of the skinning. She could feel herself flush and looked down at her hands. He offered her the bottle and she took it, still avoiding his gaze.

Daryl was slouched against the tree, propping himself up with his forearm. Alice found herself looking at his fingers, splayed against the mossy ground. She recalled how they'd looked wrapped around his crossbow. They probably gave him more control. Or was it his muscular forearms that enabled him to make such quick movements and accurate shots?

"Quit gawkin'," at Daryl's words, Alice flushed, realizing she had been staring at his arms for too long. She searched desperately for a way to cover her embarrassment. She came up short.

"I wasn't _gawkin',"_ she told him, "just looking and thinking."

"See something you like?"

Alice's eyes shot up to fix on his face, a shocked expression passing over her own face. He looked surprisingly relaxed and self-confident, smirking slightly as his eyes lazily trailed over her. After a second, Alice realized he was joking.

"Daryl!" she gasped in mock-shock, "are you flirting with me?"

It was Daryl's turn to blush. He sputtered in indignation, "I ain't flirtin' s' you who was shootin' me glances."

She tried to hide her grin behind her hand, "If I didn't know better, Daryl, I would say that you are trying to get me drunk."

"Ain't that the truth," Daryl grumbled, but the corners of his mouth turned slightly upwards at her comment.

"Jesus Christ, you still ain't doin' it right. Ain't difficult _my ass_." He reached for the animal and began skinning it for her.

She grinned at Daryl, silently thanking him, happy that he was finally interacting with her.

"You know…I really am sorry," she told him seriously.

"I's used to it," he shrugged, "being treated like shit by the likes of you ain't nothin' new."

"The likes of me?" Alice asked softly.

"Fancy education, big house, rich family, spoiled…the kind who thinks their better than everyone else."

"What makes you think I was rich?" she asked carefully, trying not to be insulted by his comments.

"Ya tellin' me you weren't?" He challenged.

She shook her head. "No, I was. My parents were rich, but they earned every penny and then some. And that didn't mean that I didn't work hard. If anything, I worked harder. My sister and I wanted to prove to them that we could do it too. They didn't have to pay a single cent for my college or my medical school. And they never treated people poorly… and I'm sorry for doing that to you."

He didn't reply so she continued. "And Daryl, all of that doesn't mean anything anymore. Me, you, Dale, Glenn, Merle, _everyone_ …we all lost everything. Money, houses, fancy cars, etcetera…that doesn't mean anything. Survival skills are what matter now, so if you want, you can look down at me for not knowing how to hunt, shoot, or track."

"I told ya I'd teach you t' shoot," Daryl told her, finally meeting her eyes.

Alice could not help herself from grinning, "so we're okay?"

"It's a long trip to the CDC and I don't want ya poutin' the whole way there, so yeah, we're good."

Alice beamed, realizing that Merle and Daryl had chosen to go with her and Glenn to the CDC instead of Fort Benning.

"And you'll still take me to the zoo?" she asked.

"Yeah. That too," Daryl answered, "but I'm keepin' tally of the favors ya owe me."

"Stop grinnin' at me like some seventy-year old pervert," Daryl added when he noticed her smiling at him.

Her small smile flared into a full-blown grin, "alright, Daryl. I'll do all my perverted grinning in private from now on."

He finished with the animal and bent down to collect the rest of his catches. He stood up, stretching. His shirt rode up, exposing his hip bones and the trail of hair leading from his belly button to his pants. He smirked down at her when he saw her watching him again and in that exact moment she realized that she found him attractive.

 _Was she allowed to think someone was handsome after everything that had happened? Was she allowed to think that Daryl was attractive?_

She stood up a little too quickly, feeling shaky on her bad ankle. "Well, we should get back to the group and help with the packing," she told Daryl, suddenly wanting to get away from him.

He shrugged, oblivious to her change in behavior. She limped back to camp with Daryl, feeling aware of his presence at her side.

"I didn't do a very good job, sorry!" she told Merle as she handed him the skinned animal.

"Ain't as bad as Darylina's first try," Merle cackled as he inspected her work.

"Fuck off," Daryl grumbled.

Alice gave Merle a slight smile before walking quickly towards the small lake, trying to shake Daryl from her mind.

She found washing her bat to be cathartic. She scrubbed her bat with soap until her hands stung. She examined her work, pleased that the metal glistened in the sun. There were several indentations in the bat, but they could have easily been caused by hitting a baseball…and not from bashing in a walker's skull until there was nothing but a bloody mess left.

Alice had always loved baseball. When she was in lower school, her parents had attended every single one of her little league baseball matches. And in high school, they came to all her softball games. Her Dad would shout from the baseball stands, embarrassing both her and her mother. Now, she'd give anything to be hitting baseballs in the batting cages with him. Her favorite possession had been her Dad's worn out, ratty Yankee baseball cap. She wondered where the hat was now. Probably in her apartment in Baltimore… if the building was still standing. She shook her head not wanting to wallow in misery.

She jumped slightly when she saw Daryl approaching her. When he noticed her staring at him, he stopped and chewed on his lip a bit as he observed her from a distance. She waved slightly at him, hoping it didn't look too forced.

Daryl's eyes darted away from her face and looked to be focused on a nearby shrub when she began to approach him. She stopped in front of Daryl and waited for him to say something.

"Sorry I was so harsh 'bout your sister," Daryl finally mumbled.

Her baseball bat hung loosely in her fist at her side. She tapped it against the outside of her leg as she continued to stare at Daryl, surprised he had followed her in order to apologize. He narrowed his eyes a bit at her and scowled, shifting his weight to his other leg, looking rather annoyed and uncomfortable.

"Just forget it," Daryl muttered, thrusting his hands into his pockets like a kid who'd been told by his parents that it was time to head home early from a birthday party.

She realized that she had been quiet for too long. "Thank you, Daryl" Alice replied. She gave him something that she hoped resembled a genuine smile. Just because she suddenly found herself attracted to Daryl didn't mean that she had to be _weird_ around him.

"Nancy might not be there," Alice added, "but that doesn't mean she's dead. I'm not blindly optimistic, Daryl. There'salways a backup plan…if she's not there, I'm going to find her."

"Alright," Daryl told her, his shoulders relaxing slightly.

They trudged back to camp in comfortable silence, his arm occasionally bumping into hers as they walked up the narrow trail. When they arrived, Daryl made his way towards Carol.

Jealousy, hot and sharp, pierced her. The feeling was all too familiar—she had felt it every time she had seen Derrick with his ex-girlfriend. But today, it came out of nowhere, shocking her with its intensity. She had no right to be jealous, she reminded herself. _No right at all_.

She paused for a second before deciding to find Glenn.

She found him standing next to Rick, Shane, and Merle.

"I don't want the vultures to take my car apart," she heard Glenn grumble as he eyed Dale and Jim who were hovering near the red sports car.

"Good morning!" Alice called to the men as she came to stand near them, "what's this I hear about Glenn's ride being used for parts?"

"Vultures," Glenn repeated, not looking away from the car.

"We're trying to decide what to do with the car," Rick replied, "the RV needs parts and Merle's truck needs gas. Neither of us will get far without it."

"Well, we need a car," Alice explained slowly.

"We got a bike n' a truck." Merle told her, "and sweetheart, you'd look great on the back of my bike."

Alice turned to eye his motorcycle warily. "We—in the medical profession—call them donor cycles because so many riders end up dead…And then we use their organs for transplants."

Merle scoffed, "live a little, princess." She scowled at the older Dixon and turned towards Glenn.

"Why isn't there talk of Glenn being on the motorcycle?" she asked, throwing an accusatory glance at her friend who held up his hands in mock surrender.

"I ain't havin' a man ride behind me," Merle protested, "n' s' my bike. Darylina ain't gonna be ridin' it. S' me and you, sugar."

Alice looked at Glenn, silently asking him what he thought. When he nodded his agreement, she sighed in resignation. "Alright. We'll get Merle's bike and the truck all packed with all our stuff."

She realized that now, her and Glenn were tied to the Dixon brothers. But, Alice trusted Daryl and Merle. They were rough around the edges, but if it came down to it, she knew that she would fight for them and they would do the same for her and Glenn.

In a few short hours, everybody was ready to depart. Saying goodbye to everybody was hard. It was especially difficult to part with Andrea and Amy. But, now everyone was ready to leave. Lori, Carol, Carl, and Sophia were already in the car. Amy and Andrea were in the RV, waving at her through the windows.

She waved back before she walked over to Rick and Shane. She gripped Rick's hand, "Rick. I hope to see you again."

"Likewise, doctor," Rick told her with a slight smile.

She gave Shane a small sympathetic smile, knowing that it probably wasn't easy on him to see Lori with her allegedly dead husband.

"We leavin' or what?" Daryl called to her, shifting impatiently. His truck was already packed with all of their stuff and Daryl was now adding gas to the truck, Glenn at his side.

"Stay safe," Shane told her, shaking her hand, "you know where to find us."

"Come on, let's go!" Daryl shouted at her, "car s' fueled up n' ready t' go."

She gave Rick and Shane one last parting smile before she walked over to Merle, eying the motorcycle carefully.

"You'll go slow, right?" she asked Merle as he threw his bag in the back of the truck and straddled the bike. Daryl and Glenn were standing near the truck, not bothering to hide their amusement.

"Yeah, sure…I'll go _real_ slow," Merle promised, but his tone and grin did little to calm Alice's nerves.

She walked up to Daryl and shoved her backpack into his arms, giving him and Glenn a slight glare. "I'm glad you _both_ are enjoying my misery," Alice told them. "I expected this from you, Daryl. But you too, Glenn?"

And then it happened. Daryl smiled, and it was breathtaking. His smile lit up his face, and Alice felt herself returning the grin. She gave them both a small wave before limping back to Merle's side.

She climbed on behind Merle, steadying herself by settling her hand on his shoulder. She tried to get comfortable for a moment before Merle grabbed both her wrists and pulled her arms around his waist.

"Hold on, sweetheart," Merle cackled. Alice saw him give his brother a large, wicked grin before revving the engine. Alice yelped and gripped him all the more tightly.

Wind whipped her hair so that it slapped her cheeks and forehead, but she didn't dare brush it back. She relaxed only after several long minutes. Eventually, she began to enjoy the sun on her face and the wind whipping her hair. She was finally on her way to the CDC. She placed her head onto Merle's leather-clad shoulder and watched the countryside zoom by. Alice smiled at the thought that she would soon be conducting research again, hopefully the Dixons, Glenn, and her sister at her side.


	9. Chapter 9

**Characters are from TWD. I am just writing for fun :)**

* * *

 **The CDC**

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_

 _Sorry for the late update! School is starting up again... but I will continue updating on a regular basis to the best of my abilities (there might be more time between the updates and the chapters might be shorter). Thank you to all the kind comments- every time I see one, I get more motivated to write :) I hope you enjoy this next chapter._

* * *

They had only been driving for approximately two hours and Alice was already regretting her decision. She was tired and sore from riding and her ankle was throbbing. She tugged on Merle's shirt, signaling to him that she needed a break.

"I won't be surprised if I will be saddle sore for at least a month," she observed, rubbing a hand over her behind and wincing as she got off of the bike. Placing her hands on her lower back, she stretched...and then stopped when she saw Merle's lecherous grin.

"Don't stop on my account," Merle told her.

"You're good for my self-esteem," Alice quipped as she gave him an exasperated, but amused look.

She looked around the highway. The road wasn't completely empty—there were several abandoned cars, but Alice assumed it was a little strange for I-75 to be this empty. She hadn't ever driven on this road herself, but she had heard enough about Atlanta traffic to know that it was atrocious.

And there was not a person or walker in sight. She shivered slightly, not liking the fact that the highway was eerily empty. And it was quiet too.

"Everything alright?" Glenn called to her as he jumped down from the truck to walk over to her. Daryl was standing near the truck, his eyes darting around the highway.

"Yeah. Just a little sore," Alice answered, gesturing at her thighs.

"Wanna swap?" Glenn asked, eying the motorcycle with interest.

Ignoring Merle's protest, Alice nodded gratefully, "thanks, Glenn. I just need a bit of a rest."

She threw Merle a mock sympathetic shrug and smile before limping towards Daryl. He was standing beside his truck, leaning against the driver's door, waiting for her.

"They should make butt buffers or something for those bikes," Alice complained to him.

"Glenn gonna be ridin' bitch behind Merle?" Daryl asked her with amusement as she got into the truck.

"I didn't see _you_ volunteering," Alice told him as she settled into the seat. She sighed aloud, enjoying the comfort of the large seat.

"An Asian ain't ridin' my truck…" Daryl scoffed, "or a woman."

"I'll have you know that Glenn is a _very_ competent driver," Alice told him, "Glenn delivered pizzas in Atlanta. And _everybody_ knows that driving in Atlanta is not easy." "N' you?" Daryl asked, his brow rising in question.

Pulling her hair free from her messy ponytail, she gave him a large grin. "Oh, I am absolutely atrocious. I can't park very well or drive on highways. And I never, ever drive in the city. You should probably never ask me to drive—it's for your own safety."

"So ya can't shoot, drive, or hunt. Ya ain't from the south."

"Did you think I was from here, Daryl?" Alice asked, trying not to laugh at Daryl's disgruntled expression.

He shook his head as he started the engine.

"I'm from the suburbs of Connecticut," Alice explained, settling further into the seat and making herself more comfortable.

"How'd ya end up here?" Daryl asked, his arm resting casually on the steering wheel, watching her with his eyebrows raised.

"My parents retired down in Florida when I moved to Baltimore. I was visiting them when this all happened. The plan was to get to the CDC…Have you ever been to Connecticut?"

"Nah," Daryl replied, looking back at the road, "I ain't ever been to the 'burbs of Connecticut."

She nodded and looked back out the window. She closed her eyes, letting the steady hum of the engine lull her to sleep.

"I think you'd like it," she said with a yawn. She settled her hand on the window and sighed, "it's not too humid this time of year."

* * *

Daryl noticed Alice's eyes flutter open. She had rested her head against the window for just a moment before she sat up straighter, her eyes automatically snapping to his.

Alice gave him a sleepy smile. As she stretched her back, he did his best to ignore the way her breasts pressed against the soft fabric of her shirt.

He imagined she looked just like that when she woke up in the morning—hair messed up and eyes groggy from sleep, but smiling lazily at the man she was sleeping next to.

Daryl grunted a greeting and went back to staring at the road ahead of them, banishing all thoughts of seeing Alice in his bed, stretched out and giving _him_ her teasing smile.

"Jesus," Alice groaned, rubbing her face with her hands, "sorry I fell asleep."

"Fine company you are," he snorted, "conked right out."

"Are you saying you _wanted_ my company?" she asked. She smiled at him, the tip of her tongue just visible between her lips. There was mischief in her eyes as she continued, "because I'm ready to play road-trip games with you, Daryl. All day long. You just have to _ask."_

He snorted again, ignoring her suggestion—he had no doubt that she could. She was chatty…always talking to Glenn and Merle about her life and asking them questions about theirs in return. Merle had already disclosed too much information for Daryl's liking. Her and Glenn had particularly enjoyed Merle's recounting of the time Daryl saw a Chupacabra.

And what was the point of talking about the past when it was all gone? They were never going to get everything they had lost back.

"When's your birthday?" she asked him, obviously undeterred by his reticence.

"What's it to you?" he asked, frowning, unsure why she was so interested in his life all of a sudden. He didn't know why she was, but she was. "Ain't no way of knowin' what day it is anymore."

"Daryl, I'm just asking," Alice said, looking like she was trying not to laugh.

"Yeah, well when's your birthday?" he asked confrontationally, knowing he was being childish and not caring.

"February 11th. I am 28 years old. I was born in Connecticut and went to college there too, but I considered Baltimore to be my home. I stayed there for medical and graduate school and residency… in case you were wondering" she told him in rapid succession, "ask away."

"Shouldn't a asked," Daryl grumbled, but he felt his lips twitch upwards.

"So?" she prodded.

"April 10th," he finally conceded.

"And you're how old?"

"S' none of your business. You ain't supposed to ask people that," he told her, glowering at her.

"Only if they are _much_ older than you. And I'd say that you are not much older than thirty."

"Older than thirty," he told her.

"Ever been married?" she asked.

Daryl looked at her sharply, "no."

"Girlfriend?"

"No," Daryl snapped.

"Well, alright, no need to bark. I was just curious," Alice sighed, turning to look back out the window.

"What 'bout you?" He asked after a minute of silence. A woman like her probably had loads of men vying for her attention.

"No. I've never been married," she replied, sounding a little surprised that he had asked her.

"I heard Lori sayin' somethin' 'bout a guy," he heard himself say, a part of him immediately wishing he hadn't.

She turned to look at him, more than a little surprised now. He felt the tips of his ears turn bright red.

"I had a boyfriend."

"He dead?" Daryl asked simply.

Alice nodded once and turned back outside to look at the passing country side.

"I'm thirty-two," Daryl offered, not really sure why he was saying it…maybe because he like a jackass for bringing up her dead boyfriend.

"You _look_ younger," Alice replied, her teasing smile returning, "I'd card you if I were a bartender."

 _Jesus Christ…that smile,_ Daryl thought. He stared at her a little too long and a little too intently, before he finally decided he should speak.

"Yeah, well, you look barely legal," he grunted in reply, "n' you'd be a shit bartender."

She rolled her eyes, but the smile never left her face. "that's just because I'm not wearing any makeup or my fancy white lab coat. Or heels. I'm wearing old, baggy pants and a ratty tank-top," she gestured at herself. "You should have seen me a year ago, Daryl," Alice lamented.

She added the last part as a joke, but Daryl just grunted, not meeting her eyes. Her hair was a tangled mess and there was dried blood caked on her slightly swollen, split bottom lip, but even so, she didn't lose any of her appeal.

It bothered Daryl that her disheveled state didn't detract from her attractiveness. She was far too pretty and it annoyed him that he couldn't just forget about her and dismiss her like she wasn't anything of importance. But he couldn't.

* * *

Daryl noted that everything in the CDC that wasn't concrete was made out of glass. Daryl only looked at the building for a second before turning his attention to the bodies littering the ground—hundreds of corpses lay scattered about in the wide exposed spaces between the buildings.

"Look at all the tanks," he heard Alice whisper as she peered out the window.

When he opened the truck door, the smell of rotting flesh greeted him. It was a smell with which Daryl had recently if not uncomfortably become acquainted to.

He grabbed his crossbow from the backseat and handed Alice her bat. She took it without a word, her face incredibly pale.

Glenn and Merle walked up to the truck, both men gripping their guns. Glenn almost tripped over a corpse as he walked up to Alice.

"What now, Doc?" Glenn asked as he straightened himself up, eying their surroundings nervously.

She turned towards Glenn, but didn't say anything. Daryl noticed that her face was deathly pale, even paler than a moment ago.

"Where the fuck is everyone?" Merle hissed, looking intently around at his surroundings.

"I don't know," Alice whispered, "we'll try entering the main building."

"You've been here before?" Glenn asked her as they began to walk towards the glass building. She nodded but didn't reply. Her eyes were trained on the building in front of the them.

As Daryl jogged towards the building, the smell became worse and he could hear the muted buzz of the flies that were hovering over the corpses.

Alice reached the building first. The doors were shuttered and closed, but she attempted to lift them nonetheless.

"Walkers!" Glenn called. Daryl swore and swiveled around to shoot at an approaching figure.

"There ain't nobody here," Merle growled.

"This is a graveyard!" Daryl barked, turning towards Alice—she was ignoring the incoming walkers, still trying to prop open the door. He grabbed her by the back of the shirt and hauled her away from the door. "We gotta go!"

She shrugged him off before returning to the door, "Look! That's a camera there. And it moved. There's someone in there!"

"Yer delusional!" Merle called to her, "we ain't got time for this. Daryl— grab her and let's go!"

"You have to let us in!" she screamed, swatting away Glenn's arm, "please!"

When she got no response, she started to pound on the door.

"Please!" she continued to call to the video camera, "I'm a PhD from Hopkins. I'm a doctor. I can _help_!"

"Alice!" Glenn pleaded, "let's just go."

She didn't move, her eyes still staring up at the monitor, "Dr. Ben Pruitt and Dr. Derrick Hayes told me to come here. I'm an immunologist. Please. I know there's someone in there. My sister might be there. Nancy Lane!"

Her voice sounded raw and brutalized and Daryl noticed that her hands were beginning to shake. Daryl swore again. He grabbed her by the arm and wrenched her away from the door. She began to push him way, but he only gripped her tighter.

"Ya said that if yer sister ain't here, you'd find her. She ain't here. There ain't nobody here. So, let's go!" he growled.

In an instant, Glenn was at Alice's other side—he grabbed her around the waist and also began to pull her towards the truck.

Alice let out a chocked sob, still struggling against him and Glenn.

"You are killing us! We don't have anywhere to go! I traveled from Florida to be here. We all risked our _lives_ to get here. We are desperate!"

Daryl yanked her harder, forcing her to turn away from the door.

"I know that we are _all_ infected!" Alice screamed. Daryl didn't have time to contemplate what she had just said because just as she let out a final sob, he heard the door open with a hiss.

A bright light nearly blinded him as he turned around to stare in shock at the open door.

* * *

Alice sat at the kitchen table nursing her drink. Inside the building, the heavy, thick stench of decaying flesh and internal organs was replaced by the smell of bleach and rubbing alcohol.

Merle and Daryl were probably already asleep in their bedrooms. Glenn was in his room showering. She sat alone with Dr. Jenner who was watching her as if she were a ticking time bomb.

Alice closed her eyes, counted to ten, then counted to ten again. Her fingers stumbled as she tried to pick up her wine glass. She clenched her hands in an effort to still the sudden tremor.

Alice's stomach muscles clenched. _Please be a dream_ , she silently prayed. How was it possible that there was only one man in the CDC? How were they supposed to find a cure with only one researcher? She put her head down as anguish swept over her.

"I'm sorry about your sister," she heard Dr. Jenner say.

Her breath caught in her throat when she heard his voice. Nancy could be anywhere. Or she could be dead. And Alice didn't know where to even start looking for her. Swallowing the knot in her throat, Alice raised her head.

"Me too," she managed to say.

"You mentioned that you knew something about the pathogen," Dr. Jenner continued, "that we were all already infected."

She swallowed repeatedly before she could manage to speak past the lump in her throat, "Derrick…Dr. Derrick Hayes was my…he's dead now…he was a researcher in Dr. Ben Pruitt's laboratory and before he died, he called me. He told me everything he had managed to find out. Whatever the pathogen is…we are all carriers."

"Ben was here," Jenner told her.

"Was?" Alice asked, not even daring to hope for one second that Dr. Pruitt was alive.

Dr. Jenner gave her a sympathetic stare before he replied, "he became infected."

She just continued to stare at Dr. Jenner blankly until he spoke again. Misery swam in Dr. Jenner's eyes as he said, "Ben and I worked closely before he died. We didn't come close to figuring out what is infecting us."

Alice didn't know what to say. Despair surged over her as she realized that Dr. Pruitt, a world-renowned leader in infectious disease, hadn't managed to pinpoint the infectious agent. But she wouldn't give up now. She wouldn't allow it.

"I know only what Derrick told me…and I suppose he knew everything that Dr. Pruitt did," Alice replied, "but if you'll have us, we'll stay here for the time being. I was serious when I said I wanted to help."

"Dr. Lane," Jenner said, his voice controlled and face pinched, "I'm afraid there isn't much anyone can do anymore."

"There has to be _something_ ," Alice said, hearing the anger creeping into her own voice.

A nerve ticked in his jaw but his voice was steady. "We don't have time."

"We're not going anywhere," Alice told him, "and you'll have four more people to help you."

He sighed, dropping his shoulders, "it's not that simple," he rubbed his face, looking away, "the generator will die soon. I don't think there's a cure."

Alice felt the hot sting of tears behind her eyes again and she blinked a couple of times. She refused to succumb to despair.

"So? Edward Jenner—who I am assuming you are named after—developed a vaccine for smallpox before there was even electricity. There might never be a cure, but maybe we can _prevent_ the infectious agent from becoming active inside of us. Think about it—HIV can lie dormant in a person for years!"

He sighed and shook his head with remorse, "like I said, there's not enough time."

She was about to snap at him, but Glenn's appearance at the kitchen door stopped her.

"Everything alright?" Glenn asked her as he took a seat next to her, "you should shower."

She managed a smile for him, relieved to see him, "yeah. A shower sounds nice." She turned towards Dr. Jenner before standing up to leave, "I'll find you afterwards. Maybe you can show me around the laboratory spaces."

He nodded in agreement, but the hopelessness and misery never left his eyes. Alice left him and Glenn and walked down a tile-floored hallway with bright fluorescent lighting towards her room.

The room had only a single bed, a small table and chair, a tiny chest of drawers and a rather thin closet. Out of curiosity, she opened the drawers and the closet. Only men's clothing hung in the closet and most of the dresser drawers were empty except for two, which held a few pair of boxer shorts, a couple of socks and a folded pair of sick-green scrubs.

Someone had lived in this room before her…probably one of the scientists that Dr. Jenner mentioned. She grabbed a pair of boxers, the scrubs and a clean pair of socks before she undressed and stepped into the shower. She stood in the shower for several minutes, allowing the steaming water to massage her cramped shoulders and neck.

After the shampoo suds were gone from her hair she reached and turned off the water.

The pants were too big, but that was better than being too small. And besides, her clothes were too filthy to put on again. Alice looked herself in the eye as she stood in front of the bathroom mirror and braided her freshly washed hair. She felt human again; she felt like herself.

As she walked back to the kitchen, she made up her mind—she would stay at the CDC and work with Dr. Jenner to elucidate what happening.

Even without power, they could use the facilities. They would have to move upstairs where there was more natural light, but she was sure that wouldn't be too difficult.

And if Nancy was alive, she would come looking for her here.

"Ya didn't mention ta me that we were all fuckin' infected."

Daryl moved so quietly she hadn't heard him come up behind her. She started, but he put his hands on her waist to steady her, then dropped them again.

She sighed deeply before turning to face Daryl. The truth was that she hadn't been sure until Dr. Jenner had confirmed what Derrick had told her. When Derrick had called from the hospital, he was disoriented and panicked… it had probably been the fever. He had tried to tell her as much as possible about the infection, but most of the things he said sounded like incoherent ramblings.

"I wasn't sure. It was just a theory Derrick had. I didn't want to worry anyone…I just didn't know," Alice told him truthfully.

His jaw clenched, but he didn't respond or acknowledge her statement.

"If we die, we turn, even if we ain't been bittin'?"

Alice nodded, "that's what Jenner thinks."

He swore loudly, raked a hand through his hair, then looked at her again as if he'd never seen her before.

"The fuck you wearin'?" Daryl asked her, eying her outfit with suspicion.

She looked down at the baggy pair of scrubs she was wearing before shrugging.

"It was either this or my dirty clothes," Alice replied, "and I chose hygiene over fashion."

She looked him over, too. His hair was damp, his clothes slightly wet. He hadn't shaved, so he had a slight scruff and he was still wearing his dirty clothes, but he looked so good standing there in the narrow hallway. Even after everything that happened today, Alice felt safe and secure standing near him.

"You look clean," she told him trying her hardest to sound as casual as possible. As they began to walk back over to the kitchen, she leaned into him and pretended to examine him, "and you smell nice too."

Daryl's ears turned red and he began to fidget under her scrutiny. She smiled at him before opening the door to the kitchen, enjoying the fact that she could so easily forget about her worries and grievances when she was near him.

Merle and Glenn were sitting across from each other, a few empty bottles of beers already lining the kitchen table.

Merle had his feet up on the table, a hand with a cigarette between two fingers dangling from the chair. He was holding a drink in his hand.

"Where is Dr. Jenner?" Alice asked, looking around the room, immediately on alert. She still had a lot to discuss with the scientist.

"He said something about checking the operating system," Glenn told her as he moved over so that she could sit next to him.

"Don't go gettin' your knickers in a knot," Merle told her, "take a seat."

Alice hesitated before sitting down next to Glenn. She wanted to start working—she was itching to be in the lab again. But, she was exhausted—not just in her body, but in her mind and spirit too…so she took the drink Merle handed her and tried to relax.

She followed Merle's lead and took a large gulp of the drink. She winced at the taste, the liquor burning her throat as it went down. Daryl looked at her in amusement as she coughed. She felt herself smile, but she had no idea why.

Just for today, she would try to forget that there was a zombie apocalypse raging outside the doors of the CDC. Tonight, she would enjoy the company of Daryl, Merle and Glenn.

Tomorrow, she would face reality.

* * *

 _ **Next Chapter Preview:**_

 _"Daryl…I…" she began to speak, no longer laughing, but she stopped talking as Daryl shifted even closer and removed one of his hands from the wall to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. His eyes were dark as they stared down at her and she could feel his fingers on the side of her face._


End file.
